Time for Beijing and Taiwan to reassess cross-strait policy

THE election last Saturday, in which Tsai Ing-wen won a second term as president, shows democracy maturing in Taiwan, which only started direct presidential elections in 1996. Political power has now changed hands three times between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), with each of the three winners being elected to two four-year terms.

Cross-strait relations played a dominant role in the election. In her acceptance speech, President Tsai said that the DPP administration had been "willing to maintain healthy exchanges with China" but, despite "China's diplomatic pressure and military threats", it had maintained "a non-provocative, non-adventurist attitude that has prevented serious conflict from breaking out in the Taiwan Strait".

That clearly isn't the way Beijing sees the situation. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, called on the international community to "understand and support the just cause of Chinese people to oppose the secessionist activities for 'Taiwan independence' and realise national reunification".