On Monday, a Global Times report said it wasn’t Ms Tsai’s pro-independence views that won her the vote but the “dissatisfactory performance of the incumbent Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou and his ruling KMT”.
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Tsai’s win is considered the people’s message to China, that while they wanted to maintain good relations with the other country, they also wanted their independence.
After the official announcement that Tsai was elected, the question becomes whether or not there will new cross- strait relations between China and Taiwan.
Almost 60 per cent of Taiwan’s residents consider themselves Taiwanese and not Chinese, according to a survey by Taiwan’s National Chengchi University previous year.
Recalling his visits to Taiwan, the Tibetan leader said when he met Tsai Ing-wen in 2009, he was able to see for himself the progress the people had made in economy and education sectors.
During the first DPP administration under Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who was president from 2000 to 2008, China cut off negotiations with Taiwan and tensions often flared up in the Taiwan Strait.
Everyone isn’t happy about this new swing of power as Beijing who feels that Taiwan is a vital piece of their territory has been vocal about their disdain. “In 2016, through democratic elections, we showed the whole world that we are proud of being a democratic country”. The closer economic relationship clearly benefits both sides, and although Xi and his colleagues may not know much about democracy, they probably realise that they need to be able to deal with both of Taiwan’s major parties.
“At a news conference following the vote, Tsai told reporters that the results “…tell me the people want to see a government willing to listen to the people, a government that’s more transparent and more accountable, and a government that’s more capable of solving problems and taking care of the weak. While that policy put both China and the USA at greater ease, Taiwanese voters anxious over dependence on their giant, Communist-run neighbour overwhelmingly elected a party that officially supports separating from the mainland.
“Our will is as strong as a rock, our attitude unswerving on the principal matter of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity”, said the Taiwan Affairs Office, responsible for handling Taiwan affairs in the Chinese Cabinet, reports Al Jazeera. 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”.
The mainland is Taiwan’s largest trading partner, buying 40 per cent of its exports, even as the two remain military rivals.
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“I’m sorry…We’ve lost. The KMT has suffered an election defeat”.
