Want China Times
Date: 2015-08-12
By: Staff Reporter

Washington may take a long and hard look at its Taiwan policy during the upcoming

The White House. (File photo/Xinhua)

interagency policy reviews of the US relationship with Taiwan since defending the country against China has become costly and Tsai Ing-wen, the opposition candidate who is the nailed-on favorite to win the country’s presidency next year, has yet to express a clear stance on cross-strait issues, says an opinion piece in Tokyo-based magazine the Diplomat.

As it moves towards becoming a superpower, China has been consistent in its opposition to the US security commitment to Taiwan, the article said. The country’s military budget increased for the 24th consecutive year this year by 10% to reach US$141.5 billion. The focus of the People’s Liberation Army centers on preventing the US intervening in a cross-strait conflict, the article said.

Although cross-strait ties have seen improvement since 2008, it has become a consistent trend for people in Taiwan to increasingly identify as Taiwanese and not Chinese over the past two decades, according to the Election Study Center at Taipei’s National Chengchi University. A poll conducted in 2013 showed nearly 40% of people in Taiwan would opt for de facto independence even if it may lead to war with China, the article said.     [FULL  STORY]