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  • Taiwan's President Meets Key Chinese Envoy

    In Milestone, Taiwan's President Meets Key Chinese Envoy

    By Jane Rickards
    Special to The Washington Post
    Friday, November 7, 2008; Page A13

    TAIPEI, Taiwan, Nov. 6 -- Marking the highest-level contact between China and Taiwan's government in 60 years, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou met briefly with Beijing's most senior envoy for Taiwan, Chen Yunlin, on Thursday at a government guesthouse as thousands of protesters loudly shouted anti-China slogans outside.

    The historic meeting was a sign of detente in one of Asia's longest-running disputes. Military tensions have run high since 1949, when the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek lost the Chinese civil war and fled to Taiwan. Beijing has since insisted that Taiwan is a renegade province, to be brought under Chinese control by military force if necessary. It has refused to recognize the Nationalists' government, which democratically rules Taiwan. The United States, the island's main military supplier, has pledged to defend Taiwan from an unprovoked attack.

    But Chen's willingness to make contact with Ma, a Nationalist, indicated that Beijing is softening its position toward Taiwan, analysts said.

    "The two sides of the Taiwan Strait have their differences and challenges, especially regarding Taiwan's security and international status," Ma said Thursday during the open meeting. But he added that he hoped the two sides could resolve their differences by not denying the other's existence and by working for peace.

    Chen, the most senior Chinese official to visit the island since 1949, did not say much during the short meeting, and did not address Ma as president, in a sign Beijing will still not openly acknowledge the Taiwanese government's sovereignty.

    This infuriated the independence protesters outside, who were creating a din that could be heard miles away by blowing horns, banging gongs and shouting slogans. Many interpreted Ma's acceptance of Chen's treatment as surrender.

    "Ma's not acting like a president, he's acting like a lackey of a Chinese emperor," said Lai Ho-an, a middle-aged man wearing a yellow ribbon around his head emblazoned with the slogan "Taiwan my country."

    Groups of protesters, many of them supporters of the opposition, pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, later battled with riot police as they tried to push down barbed-wire barricades blocking streets.

    The number of protesters -- many waving green flags and carrying placards with slogans such as "Communist bandit, get out of Taiwan" -- swelled in the late afternoon to 200,000, an opposition party official said. Police would not give a crowd estimate.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...110601589.html

    Notwithstanding the demonstrators, a thaw in the offing and a reunification?


    "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

    I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

    HAKUNA MATATA

  • #2
    Notwithstanding the demonstrators, a thaw in the offing
    depends on what the chinese give


    and a reunification?
    no.
    There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

    Comment


    • #3
      lagging news...

      Clashes mar Chinese Taiwan visit
      Demonstrators fight police outside the Taipei hotel where Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin was staying on 7 November
      Nearly 150 police officers were hurt in the clashes

      Clashes between protesters and police in the Taiwanese capital Taipei over the visit of a Chinese envoy have left at least 150 people injured.

      Street fights erupted as hundreds of protesters surrounded the hotel where the official was staying.

      The envoy, Chen Yunlin, left Taiwan after conducting the highest-profile visit so far by a Chinese official.

      A number of economic agreements were signed during the visit, which was plagued by near-constant protests.

      Police equipped with water cannon struggled to keep stone-throwing protesters away from the hotel where Mr Chen was staying.

      By Friday morning, 149 police officers had been injured, according to Taipei City Police Department. Local media report that dozens of demonstrators and journalists were also hurt.

      Taiwan's Central News Agency says that Mr Chen was trapped in his hotel "for several hours until police were able to forcibly remove the protesters who had blocked the hotel exits".

      The Chinese envoy eventually managed to leave Taiwan on a charter flight from the international airport.

      Anger with president

      The protesters are opposed to Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's policy of forging closer ties with China.

      Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin (left) and his Taiwanese counterpart, Chiang Pin-kung, wave goodbye to reporters before heading for the airport on 7 November
      The envoy (left) was China's most senior visitor in decades

      When Mr Chen met the Taiwanese leader on Wednesday, he failed to use his title "president", in line with Beijing's policy of not recognising Taiwanese independence though the two entities have been separately governed since 1949.

      Mr Ma was later quoted as saying by the Taipei Times: "[Did] I have to wring his neck and say: 'I won't let you go back to China if you don't call me President Ma?' Do I need to do that? It's unnecessary."

      But some angry protesters called for Mr Ma to resign.

      Chang Bang-ni, a 45-year-old businesswoman, said the Chinese envoy had snubbed Taiwan by not calling its leader by his title.

      "This shows that China is only treating Taiwan like a local government," he told The Associated Press.

      Mass protests against Mr Ma's pro-China policies have been on going since August.

      They have been led by the main opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party, which while in government antagonised Beijing with a pro-independence agenda.

      Recent relations soured two months ago when Taiwan was affected by tainted milk products from China, and a number of people were taken ill.
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/7716196.stm
      Check bbc, there's a series of news on this event (in the 'See also' area)

      The main achievement in this meeting is that they finally agreed on the "Three Direct Links" (of trade, travel, post). Before this, if you wanna fly to Shanghai from Taipei, your plane will have to land in Hong Kong first, vice versa. Don't know how a mail goes though.

      Many find it interesting in the two gifts Ma and Chen gave each other. Chen gave Ma a painting of horse, for in Chinese the character 'Ma' means horse. Ma gave Chen a china vase, which could keep you guessing.

      Ma was elected president earlier this year by a significant margin.

      The protesters are angry because they want independence, while mainland doesn't recognise that. We'll see how Ma will work this out in his term.
      Last edited by snowhole; 11 Nov 08,, 03:30.
      夫唯不爭,故天下莫能與之爭。

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Ray View Post
        Notwithstanding the demonstrators, a thaw in the offing and a reunification?
        The majority of Taiwanese just want to maintain the status quo which means de facto independence.

        BTW interestingly, those protestors use the Nationalist Party's old sloguns such as 'communist robbers'.

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        • #5
          My favorite part is when the pro-independence movement talks about how oppressed they are while demonstrating against China and beating up the police...
          "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

          Comment


          • #6
            IMHO, the chinese are going to lull taiwanese slowly.
            Question everything, answer nothing.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by yeung3939 View Post
              BTW interestingly, those protestors use the Nationalist Party's old sloguns such as 'communist robbers'.
              We use that word on many occasions as well, though mostly joking xD
              夫唯不爭,故天下莫能與之爭。

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by greatindian View Post
                IMHO, the chinese are going to lull taiwanese slowly.

                The great verbal Opium War? ;) :))


                "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                HAKUNA MATATA

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Ray View Post
                  The great verbal Opium War? ;) :))
                  All this trade, travel, commerce connections attempted by china is in that direction, to make taiwan dependent on china. And at some point of time in future put them in a catch-22 situation (to choose between china and US). Probably, I'm reading too much into this;).
                  Question everything, answer nothing.

                  Comment

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