Tsai making a mistake by persisting with her stance

Divisive and damaging as it is, the present impasse across the Taiwan Straits is set to continue.

That was what Tsai Ing-wen, the current leader of Taiwan, told us in the speech she made on Monday.

As Tsai said, she remained faithful to her inaugural speech, and her stance remains "consistent and steadfast".

But that consistency and steadfastness is making things worse. Because, instead of alleviating the worries on the island about her anti-mainland approach, which is hurting the island's economy, Tsai made it crystal clear that her independence-minded Democratic Progressive Party's political agenda comes first.

She did reiterate the need to build consistent, predictable, and sustainable cross-Straits relations, and to preserve the status quo of peace.

She even proposed the two sides "should sit down and talk as soon as possible". "Everything can be discussed," she said, "as long as it is conducive to the peaceful development of both sides and the well-being of people on both sides".

Everything can be discussed, except, she indicated, one China.

With Tsai showing her stance remains unchanged, the possibility of any substantial improvement in cross-Straits relations remains remote for the foreseeable future. If anything, ties will only worsen, since they have taken such a backward stride since Tsai entered office on the island.

Tsai's call to "preserve the status quo" is simply wishful thinking if she was referring to the hard-earned rapport the Ma Ying-jeou administration of the Kuomintang forged with the mainland, because that has become the status quo ante and can now be looked back on as the good old days.

The status quo she claims to want to preserve simply doesn't exist today. The real status quo is the mess she has personally created, and which in her speech she pledged to perpetuate.

Everybody knows what has derailed the two sides' once friendly, promising relationship: It is Tsai's stubborn refusal to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, which commits both sides to one China.

Though Tsai said in her speech that people expect the government to "correct mistakes", denying the 1992 Consensus is a mistake she has failed to correct. And the people of Taiwan have taken to the streets, calling on Tsai to make corrections.

Tsai, however, continues to refuse to do so, consistently, and steadfastly.