Tsai Ing-wen, Chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won by a landslide during Taiwan's presidential elections on Sunday, with the DPP capturing the majority of legislative seats, making the Kuomintang (KMT) the opposition party, according to a report by the Global Times.
Since the KMT lost the local elections in 2014, the DPP victory for the presidential elections was expected. However, media outlets have pointed out how Tsai was prudent in her remarks regarding cross-Strait relations during the past year in order to secure the election.
Tsai reportedly stressed the need to maintain the status quo of cross-Strait ties.
By not focusing on issues of Taiwan's independence, the DPP secured a victory by having voters focus on other issues.
In fact, Tsai has repeatedly said that both Taiwan and Beijing have a responsibility to maintain good mutual relations. She has said that both sides must make sure there is nothing done to destroy the relationship.
Despite this, the DPP charter explicitly supports independence.
The DPP has historically denied the existence of the controversial "1992 Consensus" that claims leaders from both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) have agreed on the idea of a "One China principle."
The KMT insists that the consensus took place, but that it was never made clear whether the PRC or the ROC is in charge of the One China. In contrast, DPP claims that there is no such consensus and that both the PRC and the ROC are independent nations.
After the last eight years under the KMT, there has been a significant progress in cross-Strait relations. This has reportedly kept the DPP for pushing their agenda of independence, opting instead for a more moderate stance.
Whether or not Tsai chooses to push for independence, her election is considered groundbreaking as she has become the first female elected to the office of president in Taiwan, the first president-elect of Taiwan to be of aboriginal descent, the first single president and the first to have never held an elected post. She is also the only second female head of state in East Asia after South Korea's current president Park Geun-hye.