Tsai must drop the fantasy of muddling through

As Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan, prepares for her inauguration on Friday, many are keeping a close eye on whether or not she will face up to the 1992 Consensus in her speech.

Her choice, be it advocating the one-China principle or equivocating about the consensus in fresh pursuit of the island's "formal independence", will mark a turning point in cross-Straits relations. The former will cement the peaceful development shared by both sides of the Taiwan Straits over the past eight years, while the latter will undermine that good momentum.

That Tsai has stressed the need to "preserve the status quo" in cross-Straits ties while avoiding questions about her stance on the 1992 Consensus (under the name of respecting Taiwan people's decision), indicates that she is inclined to take the second path, as much as she craves and needs the dividends of the eight-year-long peaceful exchanges.