A prelude to Taiwan's next presidential race in January has already set in. Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu visited Beijing in early May and met with President Xi Jinping to underline the close ties between the Kuomintang government of Taiwan and China's communist regime.
Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and nominated as its presidential candidate, is scheduled to visit the United States from May 29 to June 9 to meet with government officials, members of Congress and Taiwanese residents in an attempt to garner U.S. support for her bid.
Every time Taiwan holds a presidential election, China and the U.S. apply pressure to produce a favorable result for themselves. Both countries should exercise self-restraint and respect Taiwan's democratic process, allowing the island's voters to freely express their will without trying to influence the outcome from outside.