TAIWAN'S voters have given themselves and China a chance for a healthy, new start. Last week, they elected a president who promised to strengthen relations with the mainland - while ensuring the autonomy of Taiwan's vibrant democracy. That should be a relief for both sides of the straits. Over the last decade, Taipei's push toward independence and Beijing's rhetorical bullying and real military buildup - including 1,000 missiles pointed at the island - fanned tensions and fears of war. The two governments must now seize this opportunity to build a productive new relationship. Ma Ying-jeou, the Nationalist Party leader and Harvard-educated lawyer, won 58 percent of the vote by arguing that Taiwan's best hope of boosting economic growth lies in closer relations with the mainland. He has advanced an ambitious agenda that includes regular direct flights, increased tourism and expanded commercial ties. He is also talking about confidence-building measures - a hot line is one idea - that would reduce the chance of an accidental military confrontation. In the longer term, he says the two governments should negotiate a peace accord that would formally end hostilities dating from 1949 when the Nationalists fled to Taiwan after the Communists took over Beijing. As for independence, Mr. Ma has sensibly said the issue would probably not be settled in his lifetime and has called for a diplomatic framework in which the two sides simply acknowledge each other's existence. Taiwan's departing president, Chen Shui-bian, has spent much of the last eight years baiting Beijing, talking about independence and pressing for international recognition. Beijing has been more than eager to take offense. As his final gambit, Mr. Chen insisted on a national referendum on whether the island should seek to join the United Nations under the name of Taiwan, instead of its legal name, the Republic of China. The Security Council, where China has a veto, would never have accepted this, and Taiwan's voters rejected the idea by a substantial margin in last week's election. Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province, predictably denounced the referendum and made more threats. Taiwan has long been a difficult and potentially dangerous issue for the United States. Washington recognizes “one China” but sells arms to Taiwan and is its main military protector. The Bush administration is already pressing Beijing to work with Mr. Ma. China's leaders should listen. China's authoritarian ways are backfiring in Tibet, where years of repression have fueled anti-Beijing protests. Whatever Beijing's fantasies about unification, it is not likely to happen soon - and maybe not ever - given Taiwan's strong commitment to political and economic freedom. China would be better off following Mr. Ma's lead and pursue practical ways to build more stable ties, including a drawdown of those missiles. __
