Taiwan’s election was a topic of discussion at the Asia Forecast 2016 held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Tuesday. Former White House official Michael Green said that the US would like to see China and Taiwan leaders continue dialogue after the presidential election.
The conference asked participants if they thought Taiwan’s election would influence the US election. Most of the audience, 82%, believed it would not have an effect. The others believed that US candidates might come out with a stance to protect Taiwan, or that China would have a negative reaction to the Taiwan election.
Green said that Taiwan and China have seen growing economic and tourist exchanges, but President Ma Ying-jeou has put a limit on political and security talks. He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken a hard line stance on places such as Xinjiang and Hong Kong. In this context, Green said that no one knows if he will continue to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Green said the US is very careful regarding cross-strait relations. It is trying not to give China any reason to change its policy towards Taiwan and encouraging President Xi Jinping to take time to get to know Taiwan’s new administration. Green said the US hopes to see the two sides continue dialogue.