U.S. policy supports President Ma Ying-jeou’s efforts to ease tensions in the Taiwan Strait through moderation and accommodation.  But the resulting change in cross-Strait power dynamics may also necessitate some reconsideration of U.S. policy viz-a-viz China and Taiwan. The Taiwan president’s approach stands in welcome contrast to the cross-Strait policies of his predecessor, Chen Shui-bian. Chen was widely seen in Washington to have provoked China repeatedly as he raised cross-Strait tensions to sometimes dangerous levels through pro-independence initiatives.