This Chicago Tribune editorial seems reasonable. The message from Taiwan

As for relations with China, the people showed a mature understanding that Taiwan's de facto independence is too valuable to risk by gratuitous unilateral steps toward formal independence--which run a great risk of provoking a military response from China.

If Chen ultimately is found to have won, he ought to recognize that on this issue, he has been repudiated by his constituents, who prefer conciliation to confrontation.

He should back off his campaign to distance his territory from the mainland and concentrate on preserving Taiwan's freedom, autonomy and prosperity, while putting off difficult issues for the future, when they may be easier to resolve.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome of the presidential election, the message to Beijing is that the island's people value their right to determine their future in a democratic system. If the Chinese government hopes to win Taiwan's citizens over to peaceful reunification, it has a lot to learn from this election.