Tension between Taiwan and China has been rising as Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian insists on holding a referendum with implications for relations across the Taiwan Strait on the same day as the presidential election, scheduled for March 20.
The war of words started last September when Chen announced a referendum on the introduction of a new constitution to coincide with the election. Although the case for a constitutional overhaul is strong, this was first and foremost a calculated attempt to provoke a reaction from China to aid his re-election.
The president’s plan was to replace the existing constitution through a referendum rather than by following normal procedures, raising the question of how the use of extra-constitutional means could consolidate democracy.
