Tsai Ying-wen’s Big Bet on Constitutional Reform

 Tsai Ying-wen’s Big Bet on Constitutional Reform

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

September 25, 2017

 Translation of an Excerpt

At the same time as Tsai Ying-wen announced the launch of constitutional reform in order to "erect a system of powers commensurate with responsibilities,” “China’s New Singing Voice” of the Chinese Mainland held a preliminary talent show on the campus of National Taiwan University. On account of protests by pro-independence groups and Taiwan University students, the show was interrupted and ended. Later, skirmishes broke out and bleeding was reported, casting another shadow over cross-Strait relations. Why do we scrutinize two seemingly unrelated incidents together? Because for Tsai Ying-wen's grand plan on constitutional reform, the greatest worry lies not in domestic circles but in cross-Strait relations.

Since Tsai Ying-wen came to office, mutual trust across the Strait has been gradually diminishing, with suspicions mounting; not only mutual trust between the two regimes has been sliding, negative emotions in the private sector have been climbing. "China's New Singing Voice," a preliminary talent show that has been held in Taiwan for three consecutive years, ought to have been a mutually beneficial financial event, but became a violent incident with bleeding and was forced to be suspended and canceled. This may be a lesson for both sides of the Strait, treading on thin ice.

Constitutional reform concerns the long-term system in Taiwan, inevitably touching the sensitive nerves across the Strait; however, since the DPP came to power, cross-Strait mutual trust has been diminishing, and Beijing’s precautions vis-à-vis the DPP’s slow moves toward independence have been deepening. Constitutional reform will inevitably touch Beijing’s sensitive nerves. Tsai Ing-wen herself has emphasized that we should "honestly face squarely China's rise and development"; Tsai Ing-wen must carefully and cautiously pay special attention to the Mainland’s reaction to constitutional reforms.

Even if constitutional reform may have “myriad benefits” in the political discourse on the level of domestic affairs, it should not be forgotten that on the level of cross-Strait relations, the "utterance of a single word" could be sufficient to make the proposal of constitutional reform the scourge and crisis of Tsai Ing-wen, the DPP and Taiwan. Tsai Ing-wen indeed must be extremely cautious on this point.

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