Publications

In January, Taiwan’s voters delivered a stunning defeat to the Democratic Progressive Party in the Legislative Yuan elections.  These results both foreshadowed and influenced the resounding victory Kuomintang candidate Ma Ying-jeou won in the March presidential election.   Most importantly for cross-Strait relations, the UN referendum promoted by Chen Shui-bian failed to pass.  Beijing’s disciplined avoidance of overt interference in this year’s elections paid off.   Beijing and Washington both breathed sighs of relief.   Beijing now faces major challenges.  First, how to avoid short-term actions that would undercut domestic support in Taiwan for Ma’s more positive attitude toward China and, over the longer term, how to seize the opportunity to promote more stable cross-Strait relations.