Taiwan has a new president. Mr. Ma Ying-jeou, of the KMT (Nationalist) Party was inaugurated Monday after a decisive win in March's election. In his inaugural remarks, Mr. Ma hit the right notes, reaching out to both Taiwanese at home and Chinese 150 kilometers away across the Taiwan Strait. This is a historic opportunity to stabilize relations and establish a strong foundation for peace between Taiwan and the mainland. Will Beijing seize it?
Mr. Ma's landslide win in the March presidential election completed the KMT sweep of Taiwanese elections. With the KMT taking an overwhelming majority in the legislature in January's parliamentary ballot, the pendulum swing in Taiwanese domestic politics is complete.
Voters, tired of the ideological policies of former President Chen Shui-bian, have embraced the pragmatic, economics-first agenda promoted by Mr. Ma.