During warfare, unintended casualties are euphemistically described as “collateral damage.”
Some might be tempted to believe Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeon was one such recent casualty following his governing party’s stunning electoral setback in local elections, losing all four of Taiwan’s largest cities, including the capital Taipei.
Accepting responsibility for his party’s significant losses, Ma resigned as leader of the governing Kuomintang Party, although he will remain as president until Taiwan’s 2016 national elections.
A number of reasons underlie the ruling party’s major electoral setback, including discontent over the economic situation and soaring housing prices. But a factor that might have played a significant role in voter discontent was increasing concern by some Taiwanese that expanding relations with China will undermine Taiwan’s freedom to pursue its own distinctive policies.
Such concerns might have been magnified by the prolonged pro-democracy demonstrations that broke out last month in Hong Kong.
Those far removed from East Asia, including Canadians, understandably might regard the sensitive issue of China’s relations with Taiwan as having only peripheral importance for countries thousands of miles away.
But the growing importance of China and its neighbours in East Asia, particularly in the context of global trade, means anything that could possibly destabilize that region would have serious implications for world trade.
Canada, like most Western countries, is keenly aware of this reality. China is now this country’s second most important trading partner. Having belatedly recognized this reality, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is now giving relations with Beijing the highest priority, opening a number of new trade and other offices in China.
However, efforts by other countries to develop mutually beneficial relations with Beijing can only continue to improve if the Far East region is free from the kinds of tension and friction that have plagued the area.
Conflicting territorial water claims in the region, most involving China, have created tension between China and its neighbours, including Japan.
One issue that remains sensitive for China and Taiwan is the status of Taiwan.
Until a few years ago, tension between the two was tangible. China was still considering Taiwan a breakaway province of China, and Beijing was even threatening it would not allow Taipei to formally declare its full independence as some in Taiwan have favoured, particularly the Democratic Progressive Party, which was in power in the period before Ma’s Kuomintang returned to power and which could do well in Taiwan’s 2016 presidential and national elections.
Last month’s electoral setback in Taiwan of Ma’s governing KMT party obviously has not gone unnoticed in China, nor in Japan. Many in the latter country view the electoral losses experienced by Ma’s Kuomintang as considerably influenced by the recent political turmoil in Hong Kong.
Some see it as a warning to the Taiwanese regarding the dangers to their own democracy, should Taiwan’s present political system be undermined in one form or another due to closer relations with China.
It remains to be seen if the recent local elections really are a reflection of growing dissent with Ma’s KMT party, including Ma’s pragmatic approach to improving relations with China.
In any event, both Taiwan and China have benefited greatly from the lessening of tension between them and the positive effect this has had in expanding trade and other people-to-people relations, including tourism and educational exchanges. These accomplishments have been warmly welcomed by other countries, including the United States.
Thus, whoever wins Taiwan’s election in 2016 should recognize that both Taiwan and China benefit greatly from continuing their joint efforts to normalize their relations. Those efforts should continue.
Harry Sterling, a former diplomat, is an Ottawa-based commentator.
