"Chen Shui-bian only knows how to electioneer and doesn't know how to run the country," said Xu, director of the Taiwan Research Institute in Beijing. "Of course, Taiwan is not a country, but it's clear he's a bad administrator."
Chen steps down next May, having served two terms. The election will pit the DPP's Frank Hsieh (
Ma, 56, has said he will work to improve ties with China if elected. Hsieh, 60, is considered less confrontational than other leaders of his party, including the president.
"We are going to see a new direction" whether Hsieh or Ma becomes the next president, said Cheng Cheng-mount (鄭貞茂), chief economist at Citigroup Inc in Taiwan.
Asked in the interview whether his restrictions on investment in China are more political than strategic, Chen said: "If the government has taken certain measures just for the purpose of winning elections, doesn't that mean the majority of the people support such measures?"
An opposition politician or a businessman "may choose to ignore the existence of 988 ballistic missiles deployed at the southeast coast of China, targeted at Taiwan," he said. "But as the president of Taiwan, you can't pretend that these missiles don't exist."
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