Tsai Ing-wen, the chair of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as well as its nominee for the 2016 presidential election, is on a 12-day, six-city tour of the United States. From June 1-5, Tsai is in Washington, D.C., meeting with officials and scholars to discuss her vision for the future of Taiwan. Given that Tsai is the favorite to become Taiwan’s next president (the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party, or KMT, hasn’t even decided on a candidate yet), Tsai’s platform is being closely scrutinized.
Much of Tsai’s U.S. tour involved speeches or comments focused on Taiwan’s foreign policy – not surprising, given the foreign audience for these remarks. In particular, Tsai wanted to convince U.S. officials that a Taiwan under DPP rule will be, in her words, “a reliable partner of the U.S. in ensuring peace and stability in the region.”
From the U.S. perspective, that involves ensuring a peaceful relationship with mainland China. In 2011, officials from the Obama administration openly told Financial Times that they were concerned a Tsai administration would threaten stability in the region. “She left us with distinct doubts about whether she is both willing and able to continue the stability in cross-Strait relations the region has enjoyed in recent years,” an anonymous official said after meeting with Tsai.
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