Tsai Ing-wen has been inaugurated as Taiwan's new president. It was a momentous occasion, marking not only the transition from Kuomintang (KMT) party rule to that of the Democratic Progressive Party, but also the first time that a woman has assumed the presidency and that the DPP has held power in both the legislative and executive branches. Tsai's ascendency is a triumph for Taiwan's democracy, but it is also a challenge to the government in Beijing. While neither side seeks conflict, there are seemingly irreconcilable tensions between them. Both must be patient and be prepared to compromise to ensure that the Taiwan Strait does not again become a regional flashpoint. Thus far, the signs are not promising.
Cross-strait relations have been calm for the last eight years during the tenure of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou. Ma, a member of the KMT, has sought to build stronger, more durable ties between China and Taiwan. Critics charge that he seeks to reunite the island, which Beijing considers a renegade province, with the mainland, a claim that he has dismissed. He understands that Taipei and Beijing must have a working relationship if Taiwan is to prosper. The reality of power and politics within Asia means that Taiwan cannot ignore Chinese views.
That is a departure from the thinking of his predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, a member of the DPP and vocal proponent of Taiwan independence. Chen's tenure was marred by controversy and tension, not only between Taipei and Beijing, which considered him a threat to Chinese unity and thus the legitimacy of the Beijing government, but also between Taipei and Washington, which feared cross-strait tensions would drag it into conflict with China.