The success of the first round of talks between Taiwan and the China mainland is a feather in the cap of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, who made improved relations with Beijing the central theme of his campaign platform. But he has yet to display his acumen where foreign policy is concerned.
For one thing, immediately after his electoral triumph May 20, the president-elect made public his plan to visit certain key countries — the United States, Japan and Singapore — which he knew he would not be able to visit once he was sworn in as president.
That was a mistake. The request put Washington in an awkward situation since it did not want to disappoint Ma and, at the same time, did not want to provoke Beijing. In the end, the U.S. said no and, once that had happened, it became difficult for Japan or Singapore to say yes.