Ostensibly, the purpose of Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
It is a unique occasion in that it marks the first meeting between Taipei's mayor and his Hong Kong counterpart, Tung Chee-hwa (
Although official interaction between Taipei and other major cities in China has been going on for years, it was not until last September when Taipei Deputy Mayor Bai Hsiu-hsiung (
Bai's visit, however, was stalled four times before the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC,
Last July the MAC also rejected Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh's (
A clear message
Ma's meeting with Tung is seen by some analysts as significant because it represents diplomatic headway made despite a deadlock in Taiwan-China talks at the national level.
"It sends out a strong and clear message to the international community that the dialogue across the Taiwan Strait is taking a step forward, especially among local governments," said Tung Chih-sen (
Tung added that China wants to show the Chen Shui-bian (
"The obvious candidates [for China] to talk to are Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou," Tung said. "Hsieh's planned visit to China was rejected because the DPP did not want him to overshadow Chen. That left Ma to make the breakthrough."
But Ma is not Taiwan's first high-profile local government heavyweight to visit China. Last November, Hsinchu County Commissioner Lin Kuang-hua (
Lin's visit was preceded by Hsinchu Mayor Tsai Jen-chien's (
In view of the Hong Kong chief executive's flagging popularity, Tung said that Hong Kong will benefit far more than Taipei from the city-to-city exchange.
"Tung Chee-hwa needs Ma's visit to boost his personal image in the eyes of the Chinese regime because Tung is not one of the central government's favorites. Besides, Hong Kong people love Ma," Tung said.
Philip Yu (游鴻程), a veteran journalist-turned-politician, agreed.
"I believe they won't reach any earth-shattering conclusion at the meeting, but Tung would definitely benefit from the meeting because he needs something to strengthen his relationship with Beijing, and Ma is a good tool," he said. "Tung seems to me a Lee Kuan Yew (
Plenty of political charisma
Deemed as one of the best-looking local government officials, Ma has long been a darling of the media and is highly respected by the public. In addition to his good looks, observers say Ma has other qualities that contribute to his popularity.
"There're two things that he knows very well that he cannot touch: women and money," Tung said. "He's been doing a good job so far.
"In addition, Tung said, "he doesn't encourage favoritism -- whether it be among his family members, colleagues or underlings. Although this gives him a reputation of being clean-cut and honest, it may pose a potential threat to his future political career."
Because he has shied away from cronyism, Ma has no loyal group of supporters -- familiar with his weaknesses and strengths -- who could serve to protect him in times of crisis, he said.
Yang Hsiao-tung (
Comparing Ma with his predecessor Chen Shui-bian, KMT City Councilor Chiang Nai-hsin (
"If Chen is likened to the sun, then Ma is the north wind. Although it takes time for Ma to make a final decision, he always makes the right one," Chiang said.
Tung had similar views to Chiang on the issue.
"I see Chen as a 100m sprinter and Ma more like a marathon runner," he said. "Although the public does not feel the dramatic impact of Ma's policies -- like they do those of Chen's administration -- the outcome is always solid and receives high recognition from the public."
DPP City Councilor Tuan Yi-kang (
"First of all, he doesn't trust people and that doesn't help him in forming a loyal advisory team," Tuan said. "Secondly, he's a very proud man. He thinks he's the purest person in the KMT and maybe the world."
The road to the presidency
Although Ma has reiterated on many occasions that he will seek a second term in the next mayoral election in 2002, it is widely speculated that it is just a matter of time before he decides to runs for the presidency.
Tuan said that it might take as many as seven or eight years for the expectation to materialize, but added that Ma still has much to learn.
"Even James Soong (宋楚瑜), who is an excellent manipulator of the media and the public, lost the presidential election last year. There's still a long way to go for Ma, who lacks Soong's craftiness and a crack advisory team to help him play the dirty game of politics," he said.
Yang said that Ma does not have the intention nor ambition to run for the presidency -- at least not for now.
"Both his personality and the hierarchy within the KMT prevent him from doing that," he said. "But, things can change, politics is always volatile."
Tung said running for a second term as city mayor is the best way for Ma to go.
"He literally doesn't have any competitors in the election. Even Shen Fu-hsiung (
Lee Ping-yin (
"I'm sure that he's destined for greater things," he said. "He's polite, smart and has a great sense of humor. When he was the justice minister, he looked serious; as the city mayor, he's close to the citizens. I believe when he becomes the president, he'll look and act like one -- and a very fine one."
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it has lodged a protest with Pretoria after the name of the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa was changed to the “Taipei Commercial Office” on the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (DIRCO) Web site. In October last year, the South African government asked Taiwan to relocate the Taipei Liaison Office, the nation’s de facto embassy, out of Pretoria. It later agreed to continue negotiating through official channels, but in January asked that the office be relocated by the end of this month. As of the middle of last month, DIRCO’s Web
RSS