Word: taiwan
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Yang, Secretary General of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies in Taipei. Although Beijing refuses to recognize any Taiwanese government, in early April Chinese President Hu Jintao met informally with Ma's vice presidential running mate - a signal that China is open to further rapprochement across the tense Taiwan Strait. "I think Hu Jintao will put cross-Strait interests first because that serves Beijing's long-term strategic benefit," says Yang. "On the diplomatic front, I think Beijing will try their best not to upset the Taiwanese and send the wrong message." Indeed, unlike Chen's U.S. visit, which...
...transit stops in New York City and Houston, Ma will try to avoid antagonizing Beijing by slipping through the U.S. as quietly as possible, changing planes on the west coast and not attending public events. "We are keeping this simple and low-key," says Henry Chen, a spokesman for Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
...That approach stands in stark contrast to Chen, who rankled China in 2001 by meeting with U.S. lawmakers and posing for cameras in cowboy regalia as though he was on an official state visit. China claims Taiwan as a renegade province, and thus regards diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the U.S. as an affront to Chinese sovereignty. The U.S., which acknowledges China's position but supplies Taiwan with military material, also treads cautiously, frequently denying Taiwanese leaders permission to visit the U.S. in order to avoid unnecessarily upsetting China. Ma "differs from his predecessor," says Lin Chong-pin, President...
...Latin America jaunt could still prove politically fraught for Ma, whose domestic popularity has been slumping in parallel with Taiwan's economy. Paraguay is one of the few remaining countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan rather than with China. Incoming populist President Fernando Lugo has said he favors reversing that policy in order to take advantage of skyrocketing Chinese investment in Latin America - roughly a quarter of China's total overseas investment, according to one estimate. His government has asked Taiwan for a $71 million aid package - seen by some analysts as enticement not to change its diplomatic allegiance...
...promised to stop the "checkbook diplomacy" that previous leaders have practiced for decades. Indeed, Taiwan's long-standing practice of wooing small, often poor, international allies with economic aid has occasionally proven embarrassing. In May, a scandal erupted when middlemen commissioned by Taipei to help seduce Papua New Guinea away from Beijing were accused of absconding with $30 million of government funds. Even if, as analysts expect, Taiwan doesn't offer Paraguay the full $71 million, by going, Ma risks being seen as continuing the practice of bribing impoverished nations in Latin America and Africa for their support. "Ma should...