TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following the election of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Taiwan and China should seek out “trusted intermediaries” to open channels of communication, former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Douglas Paal said Friday (Jan. 19).

Paal was speaking during an online seminar managed by the Centre for Globalisation Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported. Washington could serve as a “message carrier” between both sides, he said.

The former United States official, who was posted in Taipei from 2002 to 2006, said now until Lai’s May 20 inauguration was the best time to try and reopen contacts. “Trusted intermediaries” could help the Lai administration and Beijing exchange views, he said.

Another Taiwan expert, Bonnie Glaser, called on China to listen to Lai’s inaugural address and watch his actions before jumping to conclusions. Communicating could prevent misunderstandings and miscalculation, according to Glaser, the managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund in Washington.

If Beijing fails to change its attitude, tensions will grow, Glaser said. She warned of China increasing pressure on Taiwan through diplomatic, military, and economic means, the report said.