Best-selling Hong Kong martial arts novelist Louis Cha (
The book was inscribed with a message urging Ma to work for better relations with China.
``May our hero ... always endeavor for cross-Straits eternal peace,'' Cha wrote in the copy of one of his best-known novels, The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber (
London-based Cha sent the book to Ma, and the gift was made public yesterday.
Cha -- who uses the pen name Jin Yong (
Yesterday, Ma told TVBS cable news that the writer "has such high hopes of me. I was moved and will write back to thank him."
The Harvard-educated Ma is in a close race for leadership of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
His rival in the July 16 party leader race is Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Taiwanese media said the popular novelist may have picked the wrong gift for Ma.
The Heaven Sword, published in 1963, features a kindhearted hero who is weak-minded and indecisive -- but he uses his kungfu skills to unify a divided gang, and is elected its leader.
Media-savvy, charismatic Ma is often criticized for shying away from controversy. He brushed off comparisons of himself and the book's hero.
He said he favors Guo Qing (
"Guo Qing is a tragic hero who sacrificed his life in guarding the country" against the invading Mongolians, Ma said.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all