Does Tsai Ing-wen Care that 68% Do Not Support Her Cross-Strait Policies?

 Does Tsai Ing-wen Care that 68% Do Not Support Her Cross-Strait Policies?

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

September 17, 2018

 Translation of an Excerpt

Since the Tsai government came to office, cross-Strait relations have increasingly deteriorated, while we don’t see any indicators of improvement. Based on this paper’s opinion poll, people's dissatisfaction rating for President Tsai's cross-Strait policies has reached as high as 68%, while the satisfaction rating is only 19%, showing that this is an entirely failed route for cross-Strait relations. Especially, the Tsai government has used cross-Strait policies to camouflage its intentions of Taiwan independence and de-Sinicization, not only causing Taiwan internal divide and "self-debilitation," but also eliciting the Mainland’s oppression, both diplomatically and militarily. If Tsai Ing-wen’s cross-Strait approach is not readjusted, it will have an extremely disadvantageous impact on Taiwan.

According to the survey, on the level of cross-Strait government-to-government interaction, the indicators representing "tense situation" have reached new highs in the diplomatic, political, and military facets. Conversely, on the level of people-to-people interchanges, whether moving westward for employment, starting a business, residing or letting children study on the Mainland, Taiwan people’s willingness has climbed to new heights. In other words, after having felt the changes of the temperature in cross-Strait relations, and after having borne the shifting and tribulations, many people have decided to toss away political entanglements and have chosen to take their own road.

In other words, the development of the objective cross-Strait situation does not shift with the will of the powers that be, even taking the opposite direction against its wishes. Tsai Ing-wen's cross-Strait policies leave 68% of the people dissatisfied, and also cause the rupture of social fabric with the disappearance of the middle, and even more obvious divisions between the two poles of reunification and independence. For this reason, more and more people who detest politics choose to “vote with their feet.”

Viewed from another perspective, cross-Strait relations have deteriorated, and Tsai Ing-wen has apparently lost popular support, but Beijing in fact has not won the hearts of Taiwan’s people. Under the lure of "preferential treatment” for Taiwan, the willingness of Taiwan’s people to seek employment, start a business, or to study on the Mainland all have conspicuously risen; nevertheless, Mainland China’s has been oppressing Taiwan’s diplomacy, international activities, and athletic meets, seriously hurting the feelings of Taiwan people in a like manner. Mainland China has been trying to win the hearts of the people of Taiwan in recent years, and Taiwan people’s impression vis-à-vis the Mainland government had earlier gradually improved; last year the percentage of goodwill reached a new high of 40%; this year, it has suddenly taken a twist overnight with a majority of Taiwan people’s impression of the Mainland government turning worse. It is not difficult to imagine that this must have something to do with Mainland China’s poaching of three of our diplomatic partners one after another in the recent period and the suppression of the East Asian Youth Games. With regard to this, Beijing must be prudent not to overlook such feelings.

Classic teachings tell us that a larger state should treat a smaller one with benevolence, while a smaller state should treat a larger one with wisdom. When two cross-Strait trains were on collision course, it would, in fact, cause a lose-lose outcome; Taiwan would inevitably sustain disastrous sacrifices, while the Mainland would lose the hearts of the people through its high-handedness. We want to remind all the more that when the people feel extremely impatient with respect to President Tsai’s approach to handling cross-Strait relations, the self-claimed government of “humility” and of “warmth” cannot, under any circumstances, remain oblivious to public opinion, and must make proper adjustments, while reducing the harm to the people by mistaken policy. "A wrong policy decision is more dreadful than corruption." Whether Tsai Ing-wen would be given a worse assessment than Chen Shui-bian depends on her decision in a flash moment.

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