The sides could be in for a lengthy wait as China assesses whether it feels it can trust Tsai.
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“Tsai was saying that she plans to promote stability in cross-strait relations but only if Beijing refrains from coercive threats or efforts to tighten the noose on Taiwan diplomatically”, said John Ciorciari, political science professor at the University of MI.
The victory will open a new chapter in Taiwan’s history, but the China that the island faces today, is much different from the first time Tsai’s DPP won the presidency in 2000. The Nationalists had to go.
An editorial carried on China’s official Xinhua news agency said there was “no denying that the DPP’s return rule poses grave challenges to cross-strait relations”.
The reasons for the massive win were many. “I expect the new president to continue upholding the current state of the peace and prosperity enjoyed across the Taiwan Strait”, he said.
Fearful of their original candidate’s poor reception among voters, the Nationalists dumped her in favor of Chu, but even he proved unable to raise their prospects. Furthermore, many people believe that the rising power of females is undeniable and can not be underestimated; many supporters regard Tsai as the most suitable person for negotiating with China.
Tsai’s comments came against a backdrop of outrage over the treatment of 16-year-old Taiwanese K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu, who was forced to apologise after waving Taiwan’s official flag in an Internet broadcast.
Both nations have had separate governments for more than 65 years but China is Taiwan’s biggest trade partner.
“It’s about what you do”, she said. They have long conflicted with “mainlanders”, who arrived in Taiwan with the Nationalist Party after the Chinese civil war.
Ms Tsai, 59, leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that wants independence from China.
Stable and favorable ties between China and Taiwan matter a lot for security in Asia. Although she repeatedly stated that she wanted to maintain the “status quo” in ties with China, she regularly sidestepped the question when asked about the so-called “Consensus of 1992”.
Now, less than three months after Mr Xi Jinping’s historic meeting with Mr Ma in Singapore, China must revise its road map for eventual reunification with Taiwan, which it considers a province.
How Beijing treats Taiwan will also be key.
Tsai thanked the US government for sending a well-respected seasoned diplomat to Taiwan.
Increasingly, Taiwanese people identify themselves as Taiwanese, rather than Chinese.
In an interview with Next magazine, Tsai said that communication is “not just about sitting down and negotiating”.
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“I’m sorry…We’ve lost. The KMT has suffered an election defeat”.
