Mainland Highlights 1992 Consensus as Tsai Elected Taiwan Leader

Tsai Ing-wen, candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won Taiwan’s leadership election on Saturday, according to the final result of ballot counting released by the island’s election commission. She said both sides have a responsibility to find a mutually acceptable means of interacting, while adding that Taiwan’s worldwide space must be respected.

In the past eight years, on the political basis of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing “Taiwan independence”, both sides have jointly explored a path for the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relations, set up an institutional framework for exchanges and cooperation, and maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the statement said.

In a statement, Kirby said the USA shares with the Taiwan people a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability.

Resentment towards the KMT over its China policy and Taiwan’s economic woes saw it haemorrhage seats Saturday. China is also Taiwan’s top trading partner and Taiwan’s favorite investment destination.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also congratulated Tsai and said he hoped Taiwan and China would “continue their dialogue to resolve differences and maintain the recent trend of constructive relations”.

The size of the win could also put additional pressure on Tsai and the DPP, said Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who closely follows Taiwanese politics.

“We want to congratulate the DPP’s victory, this is the Taiwan people’s mandate”, Chu said.

China has held out the “one country, two systems” formula, under which the British colony of Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, as a solution for Taiwan.

He burnished his legacy to some extent last November, when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore.

“In many ways the DPP represents China’s worst nightmare because of her pro-independent stance but this is a woman they [China] now will have to deal with and how China responds of course in the coming days and weeks will really define the future of relationships between China and Taiwan”.

In the lead up to her presidential campaign in October, she posted a 15-second video on her Facebook profile to coincide with Taiwan Pride-the largest of its kind in Asia saying: ‘Before love, everyone is equal’. In an online commentary on Sunday, Wang Hongguang, a lieutenant general and former deputy commander of China’s Nanjing military region, said the People’s Liberation Army was now better prepared than ever for operations against Taiwan. Beijing will have to bear in mind the opinion of a Chinese public that has always been brought up never to question Taiwan’s status as an inherent part of China.

In the latest cross-strait drama, the plight of a teenage Taiwanese K-pop star dominated local news coverage, with presidential candidates drawn into the row.

Ing-wen’s preference for freedom of navigation in the disputed South China and eyeing stronger relations the Japan will create more anxiety in the Chinese establishment. She was appointed as the National Security Council.