Ma to uphold successful cross-Straits policy

Incumbent Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou was re-elected on Saturday. As the chairman of the Kuomintang, his vow to push for closer ties with the mainland was endorsed by voters.

Since Ma took office in 2008, the most significant change in Taiwan has been the improvement of its relationship with the Chinese mainland. The public can sense that he is trying to create an atmosphere of friendly relations.

Judging from the votes he received, almost 52 percent of voters support his work, and it's fair to say that plenty of those who voted for other candidates also support friendly ties between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.

It also indicates why Tsai Ing-wen, Ma's main rival, lost. In addition to her other failings, Tsai never issued an explanation about her alleged wrongdoing in the formation of a biotechnology company.

After the election, there were numerous comments in the media about the involvement of the US in the Taiwan-mainland relationship. In Taiwan, there are two mainstream viewpoints. One believes that the US doesn't want to see a closer relationship between Taiwan and the mainland because it will result in cooler relations between Taiwan and the US.

The other camp believes that if Taiwan and the mainland maintain warm ties, conflict in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole will decrease, which is good for the overall American global strategy. Therefore, the US welcomes a closer cross-Straits relationship.

Logically, both viewpoints hold water, although the US has never declared its stance on this question.

We can also see that although Ma is said to be the mainland's preferred candidate, the mainland remained silent during the campaign, fearing that any overt support for Ma could backfire.

Taiwan has its own autonomous governance. It won't lean on either the US or the mainland.

There is little possibility of Ma upsetting the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland in his ensuing four years in office, as the current situation has come to be accepted by many in Taiwan.

Similarly, in the mainland, there is no exact timetable for unity.

Ma's current challenge is to maintain good relations with the mainland, including in such realms as economic and cultural development. Both sides must seek incremental progress, and neither should act in a radical fashion.

The article is compiled by Global Times reporter Wang Wenwen based on an interview with Sui Duqing, associate professor at the Ching Kuo Institute of Management and Health in Taiwan.