Solidarity, democracy, or peace?:competing Taiwanese perspectives on the Russo-Ukrainian war

The Russo-Ukrainian conflict has intensified Taiwan’s geopolitical concerns. While much discussion revolves around the reactions of major powers, this article scrutinizes how Taiwan’s civil society and political leaders not only responded to the war but also actively shaped public opinion, steering debates in divergent directions. Our findings reveal a multifaceted and diverse array of reactions. There was widespread sympathy among Taiwanese citizens towards Ukrainians and among robust civil society backing Ukrainian resistance efforts, demonstrating solidarity with the victims of Russian aggression. A word frequency analysis highlighted two forms of international solidarity initiated by civil-society actors: sanction campaigns and charitable efforts. Political parties offered contrasting perspectives along the spectrum of unification and independence. The Democratic Progressive Party-led pan-green camp advocated for a ‘self-defence democracy frame’, asserting that a strong commitment to defence and alignment with the global democracies offered the most effective deterrence. In contrast, the Kuomintang-led pan-blue camp proffered a ‘negotiation pacifism’ by prioritizing peace and advocated for cross-Strait dialogue as the primary strategy for de-escalating tensions. Reflections on their complex geopolitical situation, solidarity, democracy and peace present three perspectives through which Taiwanese made sense of the Russo-Ukrainian war.