I'm John Batsu with my colleague Mary Kessel, Executive Vice President Stevens Incorporated,

former senior advisor to the Secretary of State and before that many years in

Hong Kong for the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal. We have headlines

following the successful festive, transparent, nonviolent election in Taiwan over these last days, continuing the authority

of the DPP, the Democratic People's Party, in the face of what was threats after threats by the mainland.

We now have this.

Delayed US weapons raise Taiwan's vulnerability to invasion.

That's the Wall Street Journal reporting.

And then Newsweek, US ally and feud with China

makes rare gesture backing Taiwan.

The good news is that President Ferdinand Marcos

was once secured by China and now the president of the Philippines is supporting

the election, this successful election in Taiwan and that's important because Philippines are also

threatened by the People's Republic of China. I'll hesitate there because what goes

on in Asia is not one simple story. These are competing allies, competing

frenemies of each other. Mary, this success in Taiwan was not surprising. The polls indicated that DPP was going to be successful.

The threats from the mainland have continued before and now afterwards. Is it significant

that there is reason to believe that other states in the region are

bolstered by Taiwan's success? Does this carry on to other countries as they look for governance?

Well, I think calling Taiwan's election a success in focusing on the choices of the

Taiwanese people is very important because they have only really enjoyed full

democratization since the late 1990s so what they've achieved is just absolutely

...