Opposition wins in Taiwan and seeks closeness with Beijing

Former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou is Taiwan’s new president. Ma has already said he wants closer ties with mainland China.

Ma has based his campaign on promises to reverse the pro-independence direction of outgoing President Chen Shui-bian and leverage China’s white-hot economic boom to re-energize Taiwan’s ailing high-tech economy.

He has proposed a formal peace treaty with Beijing that would demilitarize the Taiwan Strait, 100-mile-wide waterway that separates the two heavily armed sides. But he has drawn the line at unification, promising it would not be discussed during his presidency.

Elsewhere, he has said he would like direct airplane flights between Taipei and mainland Chinese cities; right now, travelers must go through either Hong Kong or Macau.

In an era of enough instability, including at the top of the U.S. government, a Taiwan backing off a legal declaration of independence from China is a welcome sign.