Victory of New Taiwan

In the presidential election in Taiwan, the leader of opposite party defeated the successor of leading party on Saturday. The relation between Taiwan and China is expected to be getting sober under the leadership of new president, who has been taking distance of honeymoon with the continent. Japanese government analyzes that Japan-Taiwan relation will be improved, as long as new administration refrains from going toward independence too much. Neighbor nations are watching how situation in East Asia will change.

It was a landslide victory for the opposite Democratic Progressive Party. DPP presidential candidate, Tsai Ing-wen, occupied 56% of all votes, leaving behind the candidate of Nationalist Party, Eric Chu, with great margin of 25 percentage points. In the parliamentary election, DPP obtained 68 seats out of 113. It was the first time in the history of Taiwan to have female President and majority of DPP in legislature. “This victory is not a simple result of an election, but means that eligible voters required the government to lead Taiwan to a new era,” told Tsai in a press conference.

DPP has not recognized “1992 Agreement,” in which China and Taiwan said to have reconfirmed “one China” principle. For Nationalist Party, the agreement has been a main basis for bilateral interchange, while it is a wording Nationalist Party created and not a consensus for all residents for DPP. Tsai is supposed to make a relationship between the strait based on equality and dignity, not collapsing moderate economic exchange with China.

Japanese government welcomed the victory of Tsai, expecting improved relation with new Taiwanese administration. “I congratulate winning of Ms. Tsai. Recognizing Taiwan to be an important partner sharing the same fundamental value, we will deepen our cooperation and exchange as non-governmental practical relationship,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fumio Kishida, in his comment.

Incumbent President, Ma Ying-jeou, has been involved in two sensitive issue, Senkaku Islands and comfort woman. Ma began to claim administrative right on Senkaku and proposed joint development of natural resources with Japan and China. He defined comfort woman issue as “serious war crime of human rights abuse,” requiring apology to former comfort women and compensation.

Tsai visited the home town of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Yamaguchi Prefecture last fall, showing friendliness to the Japanese. With higher tension between Taiwan and China, Japanese government expects that China will be less active in East and South China Sea. But, if Tsai leans on independent policy, deterioration in economy may affect Japan-China trade. It would be a negative scenario for Japan.