"The recent American arms sale approval and Tsai's stopovers in the U.S. show closer ties between Taiwan and the country," said Ian Tsung-yen Chen, an assistant professor at National Sun Yat-sen University. "I don't recall any Taiwanese president staying so many days during their transits in the U.S., which is definitely a plus to Tsai's reelection campaign."
"Han's advantage in competing against Tsai is playing the card of Taiwan's economic growth," said National Sun Yat-sen University's Chen. "But when it comes to protecting Taiwan's sovereignty from China, Tsai has the upper hand to secure more public approval."