Since the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party's Tsai Ing-wen became president of Taiwan last year, China has not only rejected dialogue with the DPP government but has applied various forms of political and diplomatic pressure on Taipei. Tsai's overwhelming victory in the 2016 election ended pro-China Kuomintang President Ma Ying-jeou's eight-year rule, and a majority of Taiwanese do not want unification. Beijing should respect the will of Taiwan's voters and reopen cross-strait dialogue to build a trusting relationship with Taipei that will contribute to the region's stability.
Cross-strait relations have been strained since Tsai was inaugurated in May 2016. Her predecessor pushed the policy of strengthening Taiwan's relations with China on the basis of a "1992 Consensus" between China and Taiwan, which upholds the "One-China" principle — although it leaves room for different interpretations by Beijing and Taipei. China can interpret it as meaning the People's Republic of China and Taiwan as referring to the Republic of China. Tsai rejects Beijing's demand that she accept the consensus.
China has closed channels of dialogue with Taiwan and significantly curbed the number of its citizens visiting the island. Based on its position that Taiwan is part of China, Beijing refuses to accept it as a state party to international organizations and it has maneuvered to prevent Taiwan from participating in international organizations. Recently it blocked an invitation for Taiwan to take part in the annual assembly of the World Health Organization in Geneva this past May. China's action was regrettable because it could negatively affect Taiwan's efforts to maintain public health and participate in global efforts to combat infectious diseases.