Orville Schell has written an editorial in the Taipei Times regarding China-Taiwan relations, Unification can only follow democratization:
China must declare, loudly and clearly, that greater democracy, not mutant Leninism, is its ultimate political goal, and that as this evolutionary process takes place and the political climate becomes more congenial, they look forward to discussing how to better weave a political, as well as an economic, fabric with Taiwan. Such a declaration alone would give Taiwanese the ability to imagine that they may one day find it in their interest to be part of China.
Via China Digital News, where Mr Schell is simply Orville
.
--A little late, since the PRC government has released a statement on the situation, but the Arab Times out of Kuwait has a quote from Ken Lieberthal (can I call him Ken?), in China silent on Taiwan election:
"The people running Taiwan policy in China have got to be shocked, uncertain in what will unfold and, frankly, hopeful that the final result will produce a pan-Blue victory," said Kenneth Lieberthal, professor of political science at the University of Michigan, who was visiting Beijing.
This is the first time I myself have heard somebody say explicitly that China would prefer a pan-Blue victory (pan-Blue is the party descended from the original Nationalist Party, and favors closer ties with the mainland; the Greens, party of incumbent president Chen Shuibian, have a more independent bent).