Prospects for Cross-Strait Relations as Tsai Ing-wen Assumes the Presidency in Taiwan

April 20, 2016

On May 20, Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic People’s Progressive Party (DPP) will be inaugurated president in Taiwan. A key concern of the United States is whether relations between Taiwan and China will remain stable or see a resurgence of tensions. During the presidential campaign, Tsai pledged that she would “maintain the status quo” in cross-Strait relations. Beijing’s precondition for preserving the status quo is that she accept the “core” of the 1992 Consensus, which is that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. Although Tsai has taken steps to provide reassurances to Beijing, she has not yet satisfied Chinese demands. This report outlines three possible scenarios for relations between Taiwan and the Mainland in the near term and provides policy recommendations for the United States.