The victory of the opposition Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan elections last December was widely seen as a rebuke of President Chen Shui-bian and an opportunity for the People's Republic of China. In theory, a democratic check on Mr. Chen allows Beijing to retake the initiative in cross-Strait relations, reach out to ordinary Taiwanese and lower tensions across the Strait. After some hesitation, Beijing seems to have done just that. China and Taiwan have reached agreement on a deal that will permit nonstop charter flights during the Chinese New Year holidays. This move opens the door to broader initiatives that could ease tensions between the bitter rivals.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have steadily increased since Mr. Chen first won Taiwan's presidency in 2000. Beijing views him as a "splittist" committed to winning Taiwanese independence; China considers the island a renegade province and views every action that Mr. Chen takes through this prism. As a result, the mainland has refused to engage in any official discussions with Taiwan until Taipei acknowledges the "one China principle," a concession that Taiwan is part of China. Moreover, China is loathe to make any compromises or take any steps that could be interpreted as a "victory" for Mr. Chen. The result has been a political stalemate, rising tension across the Strait and growing fears of a conflict through miscalculation.
Mr. Chen's Democratic Progressive Party was expected to win a majority in the December ballot. It did not. With the opposition controlling the legislature, China can reach out to Taiwan without seeming to reward the president. In the crudest of terms, it can call compromise a present to the Taiwanese electorate for showing moderation and rejecting the president's agenda.