Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou reelected, vows closer China ties

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou won reelection Saturday, receiving a mandate from voters that he vowed would spell closer economic ties with the island’s old foe, China.

Ma won 51% of the vote, compared with 46% for his chief rival, Tsai Ing-wen, after a tense campaign packed with criticism of his overtures to China. Ma had urged voters to see his attempts at rapprochement as a stimulus for the local economy, but was accused of getting too cozy with Taiwan’s rival of more than 60 years.

“Ma will feel he now has a mandate to do what he wants, though if he goes too far people will be very unhappy,” said J. Bruce Jacobs, Asian studies professor at Monash University in Australia. “China, I think, is happy that Ma has won.”

And indeed, Beijing applauded the results. “We are willing to join hands with Taiwan’s all walks of life on the basis of continuing to oppose the Taiwan independence,” read a statement released by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China’s equivalent of a Cabinet.

The People’s Daily, run by the Chinese Communist Party, hailed Ma’s reelection with an editorial that went up shortly after the results were announced.

“Ma Ying-jeou’s victory was the choice made by Taiwan’s people. This result shows that seeking peace, growth and stability is the mainstream thought in Taiwan. It will further enhance cross-strait relations and benefit people on both sides. It’s the common wish for all people in Taiwan.”

Although the China-friendly incumbent was clearly the preferred candidate, Beijing maintained a coy silence during the campaign, fearing that any overt support for Ma could backfire. The few official commentaries in the state media were cautious in their criticism of Tsai, whose party has traditionally been more distrustful of Beijing.

“China’s official policy is not to be involved in the Taiwan election. We don’t want to interfere in their internal affairs,” said Li Zhenguang, a Taiwan expert at Beijing Union University.

Taiwanese companies operating on the mainland, fearing that a Tsai victory would complicate their relations with Beijing, flew home tens of thousands of Taiwanese nationals; Taiwan doesn’t allow absentee voting. Foxconn, the giant electronics manufacturer, reportedly gave 5,000 employees breaks on airfare and a week’s extra vacation to make the trip.

China hopes that talks on trade issues will lead to stickier political topics and formal reunification. Beijing has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, when the Nationalists fled to the island and set up a rival government.

Tsai campaigned on a platform that said dialogue would work only if Beijing showed respect for Taiwan’s autonomy.

The Tsai campaign also played up holes in the local economy, such as a wealth gap, sluggish salary gains since 2000 and job search difficulties: problems, she argued, that economic links with China cannot solve.

Taiwan’s economy, which is tied to exports, has risen and fallen with global tumult since Ma took office just before the world financial crisis. But Tsai had trouble explaining how she could outdo him, analysts say.

“Even though you know Ma Ying-jeou hasn’t been doing very well, the main reason for voting is stability, and they feel Ma is safer for relations with China,” said Ketty Chen, a Taiwan-born assistant political science professor at Collin College in Texas.

Ma’s government expects an investment-protection deal with China as early as this year, followed by tariff cuts.

“The Taiwanese people have given me a clear mission, which is to stick to the road I’m on,” Ma said in a rainy victory speech in Taipei, the capital. “The people have approved of my setting aside disputes [with China] to strive for peace, turning danger into business opportunities.”

In separate elections Saturday, the ruling party also kept a comfortable majority in the 113-seat Taiwanese parliament.

barbara.demick@latimes.com

Special correspondent Jennings reported from Taipei and Times staff writer Demick from Beijing.