(゜Д゜)y─┛~~英字新聞

Taiwan voters offer olive branch to China
Ma Ying-jeou, former leader of Taiwan's Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT), has defeated Democratic Progressive Party candidate Frank Hsieh in the island's presidential election by a large margin.
Ma's victory will bring the territory's main opposition party back to power for the first time in eight years. The former KMT chief's election as president means Taiwan voters opted for friendly relations with China and closer economic ties.
Ma's electoral victory likely will be bound to temporarily set back Taiwan's ongoing efforts to make progress in democratization and "Taiwanization," the process of establishing systems distinct from those of China--politically, culturally, educationally, linguistically or otherwise. The movement started in the 1990s, when Lee Teng-hui was president.
The easy victory achieved by Ma, who hails from China, can be mainly attributed to the ruling DPP's failure to properly run the island, as best demonstrated by the economic slump there. This is significant in that his election comes against the backdrop of a trend in recent years for Taiwanese to claim a distinct identity.
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Voters disillusioned with DPP
Prior to Saturday's election, Taiwan voters had appeared to be deeply disappointed by the series of scandals involving relatives of President Chen Shui-bian, including his wife and his daughter's husband, as well as his close aides. Since taking office in 2000, Chen has become increasingly inclined to establish Taiwan as an independent state. His adherence to a hard-line policy toward China has made it impossible for him to sit at the negotiating table with the rival country.
China has grown into a remarkable economic powerhouse during Chen's two terms as president, to the growing frustration of Taiwan voters. They felt their island was not benefiting from China's economic success despite its geographical and cultural closeness to the mainland.
During his election campaign, Ma told voters that he would seek to maintain the status quo in dealing with China. He ruled out the possibility of integrating Taiwan with China, establishing the territory as an independent state and using force to settle any disputes across the Taiwan Strait.
Admittedly, Ma emphasized the need to maintain a one-China policy. However, this was also complemented by his conciliatory approach toward native Taiwanese, who account for 85 percent of the island's population. He said the future of Taiwan must be determined by 23 million Taiwanese.
Will Ma keep this policy intact after taking office?
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China wary of president-elect
Meanwhile, Ma has insisted on the importance of respecting human rights, blasting China's military crackdown on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989--and more recently, in Tibet. This has left China wary of Ma. In fact, he has never been invited to visit Beijing. What kind of relationship will the president-elect seek in dealing with China?
The most important challenge facing Ma will be to turn around Taiwan's slumping economy through cooperation with the island's legislature, where the KMT holds a stable majority gained in January's election.
China likely will favorably respond to a proposal advanced by Ma to create a common market. However, too rapid progress in such efforts could bitterly antagonize Taiwanese.
Ma has said Taiwan will seek good ties with Japan. On the other hand, he has strongly opposed Japan's territorial claim for the Senkaku Islands. Given this, his policy toward Japan should be closely watched.
The future of Taiwan could significantly affect East Asia's security. We hope Taiwan's president-elect will exercise care and caution in running the island.