Word: taiwan
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...This theme is one that Hsieh is pounding home on the campaign trail. At a late-February rally of 100,000 people at a Taipei stadium, Hsieh painted Ma's position toward China as a sure way of undermining Taiwan's economy and squashing its democratic ideals and hopes for independence. If Ma has his way, "in the end we will give up our sovereignty," Hsieh blasted. "If this happens, we will not have the dignity of being our own masters." (TIME requested an interview with Hsieh but it wasn't granted...
...used to be equally fearful of its giant neighbor. The party has historically been one of the great bastions of anticommunism and the restrictions on Taiwan's contact with the mainland date primarily from the long period when the KMT was in power. But in recent years, the KMT has gone through a transformation in its outlook. The KMT's turnaround was caused, indirectly, by the DPP. Kicked out of power eight years ago, the KMT had grown out of touch with Taiwan's increasingly vibrant democratic environment. After ruling for so many decades, most of the time through authoritarian...
...message is so far winning out. Polls show him ahead of Hsieh by double digits. A big reason is Ma himself. The former Taipei mayor and triathlon competitor has become the new face of the new KMT. Born in Hong Kong, Ma arrived in Taiwan as a 1-year-old and, after studying in the U.S., held a long list of posts in KMT governments, including Justice Minister. While campaigning, Ma is often received more like a touring pop star than a politician. "Look at how the ladies react," comments one aide as Ma departs from a rally to greet...
...sensitive to issues of Taiwanese identity. He has spent long stretches in the island's south - DPP territory - where he often bypasses hotels to stay in the homes of ordinary folk. At one rally of labor unionists in Taipei, Ma made sure to lead the crowd in cheers of "Taiwan will win!" in both Mandarin, the language of the mainlanders, and the local Taiwanese dialect. "I eat Taiwan rice, drink Taiwan water," he recently proclaimed. "I will die and be buried here as Taiwanese...
...there's a catch. Hu insisted that any negotiating party had to accept Beijing's view of "one China," a prerequisite even the KMT might have trouble swallowing. An overtly friendly Taipei will also force Hu to make sensitive decisions on Taiwan policy he has so far been able to avoid, and it is uncertain how far he's willing to go. "Taiwan's leadership will be looking for concessions and will almost certainly be willing to make concessions of its own." says Shelley Rigger, a Taiwan expert at Davidson College in North Carolina. "That will force Beijing to decide...