In the Race of 2020, In Whose Hands Lies the Spearheading of Cross-Strait Issues

 In the Race of 2020, In Whose Hands Lies the Spearheading of Cross-Strait Issues

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

January 2, 2019

 Translation of an Excerpt

In last year’s elections, with the main theme of "striving for the economy," the people used their ballots to express their choices for the direction of cross-Strait relations, not only overturning the atmospherics of cross-Strait exchanges, but also impacting the cross-Strait fences of the Tsai government, even affecting the big picture of cross-Strait and US-China relations. Tsai Ing-wen, in her New Year's Day message, proposed "four musts" and "three lines of defense," filled with hostility and no new ideas, even attempting to draw a red line for "cross-Strait city-to-city interchanges." She may probably have misjudged the situation.

Before the swearing in the new city mayors and county executives, the central and local governments have crossed swords several times on cross-Strait issues. Ko Wen-je advocated proposing cross-Strait "new terminologies" and Han Kuo-yu even demanded that "the central government should follow the localities"; the Mainland Affairs Council could only repeatedly declare that cross-Strait affairs belonged to the purview of the central government. On January 9^th, Wu Dun-yih will invite the heads of the 15 counties and cities under Blue camp rule to hold a meeting on cross-Strait city-to-city exchanges; thus the formation of "localities encircle the central government" is apparent. The Tsai government’s cross-Strait policies will meet more challenges in the future.

In the 2020 presidential election, the starting gun has already been fired; cross-Strait issues are inevitable. Ko Wen-je himself said “every day I am storing more momentum"; he also knows that he needs a cross-Strait "new terminology" further than "people on both sides of the Strait are like family." The Blue camp has been flexing its muscles; it wants to pursue the foe after victory. Cross-Strait city-to-city interchanges will be the most important breakthrough point, but it cannot cross the red line, nor can it repeat the much criticized path of the “compradores.” The economic fruits should be shared by more people. As for the Green Camp, it must regroup their formations; the inactive and ineffectual advocacy of "maintaining the cross-Strait status quo" is obviously an ending act.

If Tsai Ing-wen pretends to be asleep and not to be awaked, only endlessly murmuring "maintaining the cross-Strait status quo" in her dreams and the somniloquy of "cross-Strait affairs are under the purview of the central government," not only will she lose the spearheading of cross-Strait affairs, Taiwan will be denigrated to a chess piece and "localities encircle the central government" will quickly become her nightmare.

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