He said the talks have little possibility of restarting before the new leadership takes office.
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Although shipping, air traffic, and increased trade are bringing China and Taiwan closer together, the increasing solidity of Taiwan’s democratic lifestyle makes their eventual submission to the Communist Mainland oligarchy practically impossible. Since the DPP can not rely exclusively on China for economic growth, Tsai will look to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Japan and the USA for new trade partnerships.
Taiwan’s President-elect Tsai Ing-wen voiced optimism Tuesday about future relations with South Korea, saying the two sides now have one more thing in common: first-ever female leaders.
Steve Lin, an official from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which handles the island’s matters with China, described the practices as “really bad news”.
A third asked separatists to leave Taiwan. “And through our actions, we want to tell the world, once again, that Taiwan equals democracy and democracy equals Taiwan”.
On Saturday, Tsai, a former law professor, won the election with 56 percent of the vote.
With the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) winning a majority in the Legislature, its self-declared next step is carrying out its promised legislative reforms, including discussing a “neutral” speaker, which was on the agenda Wednesday. Five legislative seats were also won by the youthful New Power Party, with heavy metal rock star Freddy Lim and human rights lawyer Huang Guo-chang both defeating veteran KMT legislators. Her election, though long expected given the unpopularity of the current, pro-China ruling party, has still seemed to rankle in mainland China, particularly the online spaces where grassroots nationalism flourishes.
Access to Facebook and most major Western social media sites is banned in mainland China, but technically savvy users often circumvent the restrictions – an irony not lost on Taiwanese Facebook posters, who sarcastically congratulated the mainland critics on bypassing their censors. That interpretation fits with Tsai’s repeated assertions that she will maintain the “status quo” of cross-strait relations, rather than seeking to overturn Ma’s policies. “There won’t be provocation and there won’t be surprises”. But popular resentment is said to be strong that the expansion of Taiwanese firms’ activities in China has led to the hollowing out of the island’s industries and jobs, and that the deeper cross-strait business relations have not benefited Taiwanese people at large while turning the island increasingly dependent on the mainland. China considers Taiwan part of its territory.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming, a prospective speakership candidate according to DPP members and local media, reiterated his respect for the president-elect’s decision, as well as the discussion among party members, in response to media rumours of a possible unofficial vote to decide on the party’s candidates for speaker and deputy speaker.
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Tsai’s path to the top hasn’t all been plain sailing.
