Angry with the president—and China The Economist Oct 30th 2008 | TAIPEI http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12516486 SINCE the inauguration in May of President Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan has seen a number of protests against him and his China-friendly policies. The demonstration in Taipei on October 25th was the biggest yet. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which organised it, claims 600,000 took part. One lorry bore an enormous black jackboot decorated with the stars from the Chinese flag, threatening to stamp on the president. The protest was sparked by the planned visit to Taiwan of Chen Yunlin, Beijing’s top negotiator on Taiwan, for talks starting on November 3rd, the first Taiwan-China negotiations ever held on Taiwanese soil. Mr Chen will be the highest-level Chinese official to visit Taiwan since the end of the civil war in 1949. The protests have been given momentum by disillusionment with Mr Ma and anger at imports of tainted milk and other food from China. At least one-third of Taiwan’s 23m people think that the self-ruled democratic island should be independent. But Mr Ma won a resounding election victory in March on a platform of liberalising ties with China. Since then, hopes that the economy would improve under his rule have been dashed; and his approval ratings have recently shrunk to around 24%. Taiwan’s exports are suffering as global demand weakens. And Mr Ma’s opening to China has had little impact. An agreement to allow flocks of Chinese tourists to visit the island has seen far fewer visitors than Mr Ma’ s target of 3,000 a day. Mr Ma hopes Mr Chen’s visit will make a difference. The two sides are due to agree on their first direct air- and sea-cargo links, and a new air route that for the first time does not go via Hong Kong airspace, cutting the journey from Taipei to Shanghai by more than an hour. Economists are enthused about direct links. Their absence has excluded Taiwan from global supply chains. They will also make it easier for the 1m Taiwanese businessmen in China to come home to spend their money. Both Taiwan and China have played down the political implications of the forthcoming talks. George Tsai, a professor of politics at Taipei’s Chinese Culture University, says China sees Taiwan’s economic doldrums as a “golden opportunity” to enhance its image and promote irreversible economic integration. More heated rallies are expected. The DPP’s chairwoman, Tsai Ing-wen, says her party will dog Mr Chen wherever he goes. Some 7,000 police will be on alert. There is alarm over Mr Chen’s safety after his deputy, Zhang Mingqing, was shoved to the ground in Taiwan in late October. Wang Ting-yu, a local DPP politician, and six associates have been charged. This week Mr Wang claimed that Mr Zhang had merely tripped, and that a gangster had forced him at gunpoint to apologise. Tempers in Taiwan are running high. --

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