The future of Taiwan-China relations: Is the status quo the best option?

In Taiwan, the victory in Taipei's 2022 mayoral election of Chiang Wan-an, the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate and purported great grandson of former strongman Chiang Kai Shek, has sparked debate about the future of the island's relationship with China. While the KMT has adopted a more conciliatory stance towards the Chinese Communist Party, its one-time arch adversary, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) advocates for a separate Taiwanese identity. If the election outcome points to a strengthening KMT eventually winning national government and taking a softer line towards Beijing, would it really improve cross-straits relations? Is simply maintaining the One China policy indefinitely a viable long-term strategy? What is the best outcome that the Taiwanese people can realistically hope for? China historian Dr Craig Smith and Taiwan watc ...