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  Pukey2 at 10:39 PM JST - 20th September

  A baby drops his dummy on the floor and starts crying when the mother ignores him. Finally the mother has to pick up the dummy and shove it back into the baby's mouth to keep him sweet and quiet while she goes back to attending more important matters.

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  Nessie at 09:32 AM JST - 21st September

  "Special partners"? More like Japan's "something on the side".

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  yosun at 01:31 PM JST - 21st September

  Hey! you guys looks not happy because Ma didn't jump up and down like SKorea's Lee?

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  TonyUS at 05:37 PM JST - 21st September

  Ma is a wash for Taiwan, While Chen promoted Taiwan's identity, Ma has only taken Taiwan back before President Lee's time as for Taiwan’s Identity as a self ruled country. I just hope it does not get to the point of no return for Taiwan, this is one issue Ma has sped up the process of.

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  Pukey2 at 10:17 PM JST - 21st September

  Ma has only taken Taiwan back before President Lee's time

  No! Ma has just tried to avert more near-disasters for Straits relations. Why on earth would any sane person want to see Taiwan and the Mainland go to war? Perhaps USA (and Japan) would like to see those two have a go at each other, but tough! Bad relations give USA another excuse to hang around in Asia, and also petty-minded Japan another reason to think it's been left out in the cold. The world does not revolve around USA or Japan. Whether the Taiwanese want independence is up to them, and whether they want to remain on good terms with the mainland (while keeping the status quo) is also up to them. They shouldn't do things just to please USA or Japan. There's nothing in the books to say that Taiwan cannot maintain good relations with the China, USA and Japan. It is NOT a case or 'either you are with us or against us'.

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  TonyUS at 09:56 AM JST - 22nd September

  Puke you are absolutely wrong Taiwan does not have a choice of being independent.. where have you been? Most sensless remark I have heard in a long time.

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  TonyUS at 10:00 AM JST - 22nd September

  It is China's line . you are either with us or against us. If Taiwan had a choice of being independent. they would have many years ago. I still can not believe you made a statement as that

  Whether the Taiwanese want independence is up to them

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  yosun at 01:26 PM JST - 22nd September

  Let me, Taiwanese, tell you what we really think： It’s no doubt that this world today welcome compromise and against hostility/conflict, so even Ma who before was regarded as “ anti-Japan hot blooded youngster “ (like some SK friends) but now he express good will to Japan as well as China ! Taiwan’s last year top 3 trading partners are 1st China, 2nd Japan and 3rd the US, we do need good relationship with all of them and with whom we make living! ( we didn’t discover oil anyway!). We think that “ with or against someone” is completely out of date cold-war thought, like Taiwan DPP was quite good reformist some 10 years ago but now people think they didn’t make progress and become too conservative so people let them step down! BTW, world economic is not good now so Taiwanese don’t want their government to anti someone and waste money buying weapons…. etc..

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  TonyUS at 02:36 PM JST - 26th September

  Well yoson , some Taiwanese fiends I have agree with you and some do not. many see Taiwan slipping right into the hands of China and China not needing any anti-succession law to claim Taiwan or to get it under their control.. Time will tell when as we see how far Ma will go as to be compromised from the China side with Mr. Ma instead of President Ma and other undertakings Ma has shown total degrading and accepted it with ease, as for being an American, all I really care about these days is Japan's security and rightful place in Asia as China builds its military, Ma about makes me sick with his compromises with China when he gets nothing in return, except more and more downgrading of Taiwan as a nation. I am certain the world will know Taiwan as Taiwan, China in the near future, whether the people of Taiwan like it or not because many I see are leaning towards that position in Taiwan themselves , like a give away. A good example of that was during the Olympics when I was watching the broadcast here on the national when One of the female Taiwanese teams where competing in, I forget what event, but they were down in one of the games and the news anchor said although the Chinese girls are playing hard.... Of course they must have not been all that familiar with the issues of Taiwan and China, but the name Chinese Taipei must have gave them the impression that the girls were just Chinese girls and gave the impression to the UA viewers that they were from China and had no relevance that these girls were from anywhere else but China, Taiwan was not mentioned at all. This is going to be pretty common from here out with Ma's, as you say,,, compromises. It is fine to deal with China and get something out of it, but Taiwan was already benefiting from China economically before Ma and his concessions were in place, and nothing has been accomplished in that category that was not already a positive, All that has been accomplished is, China taking the upper hand and belittling Taiwan along with that, still Taiwan is not allowed to anticipate in any organizations other than what they already were participating in and still China has not let up in the least its position on any of that, but unless of course they are hand in hand with China as a one China congregation , and that is what China has always stood by before Ma and now with Ma.. So what has he accomplished except ending US arms sales to Taiwan and the KMT denying the sales of advanced weapons throughout the Chen presidency which brought the issue to where it is today with a freeze, so Taiwan may soon be in a position where China will be able to walk right into Taiwan and only with the grateful greeting by Ma , the president, or Mr. Ma himself. I do not see any advanced weapons safe with Taiwan today when China will soon have their hands on them. You may think peace as for now, but when China is ready to make its move that it has been waiting for and with Taiwan’s depleted military power because of no weapon sales, Taiwan will be a sitting duck for China to take with little force. China is completing as we speak what it has always been aiming for. Even Japan seems to have taken the Taiwan issue out of its list of issues that are important, Ma saw that to be right from the start talking war and all that nonsense over the islands…

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  yosun at 02:18 PM JST - 30th September

  Hi, Tony: It's not Chinese but communism that we object. Here in Taiwan that some people support Ma and some others don't( like the US some support Bush and some don't~). it's not only that everyone knows Taiwan is not possible to cross the line of “independence”, also the world tendency towards regional unification and cooperation in order to resist recession and maintain peace. Euro is a good example! We know the communism can’t last the other 20 years and Chinese is naturally not communist ( those few who willing to sacrifice themselves to benefit the public and finally cause chaos~). Now we only try to keep regional peace and continue economic prospering. Many of you don’t know Ma’s other words like “ the reunification of China is something we can’t see this lifetime” do you? BTW, many Taiwanese have relatives in China either those who came Taiwan 60 years ago or those came here 300 years ago. Can we cut it?

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  TonyUS at 11:21 AM JST - 1st October

  True there are those that have relatives in China and I also have some in Italy, Scotland, Ireland and Germany, That does not change anything in the way I think of the governments there and those that support the government.

  Reunification??? I always heard that to be an insult to Taiwan's sovereignty because many when even talking about some joining of Taiwan and China refer to the issue as being Unification because Taiwan was never a part of China in the past. So what is it that you would describe that issue as being???? Re-unification or Unification? So many in Taiwan would disagree with that point as well. China can not last as a communist country for 20 more years?? I think that is just wishful thinking at this stage because there is no o one that will confront the government in China, especially the Chinese people. I do have some Chinese friends and some say China should just leave Taiwan alone, others always refer to China as the mainland in reference as Taiwan being an island of China, So even the people of China are for and against, Now the question is, who is who n either side. So who are you? For unification or Re- unification, belittled by China to where Taiwan loses its identity or to stay strong and protect the sovereignty of Taiwan and reject China’s aggressive stance of taking Taiwan by force if Taiwan does not bow to Beijing wishes as is stated in the anti-succession law? Either way, Beijing claims Taiwan even as the Taiwanese people reject them and nothing is going to change that.

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  yosun at 01:46 PM JST - 1st October

  Ok so, why every time when Taiwan talk about sovereignty then the US begin to nervous and secretly send high rank officiers here to meet our president concerning this or that.. etc. and in fact you don't really know what to do and at least you don't even dare to invite our president to visit the US and when we close a little bit to China you worry something again! The fact is you don't have a stable policy! ( your one China policy is quite stable however so we don't disagree at it though!). Our conclusion ( the majority taiwanese agree) is we make decision by ourselves and we don't welcome others try to influence us actually for their own consideration/benefit! we are not a chess of anyoneelse.

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  TonyUS at 12:40 PM JST - 2nd October

  Nicely said yosun, and I absolutely agree with you on US policy which I take the stand on not agreeing with US policies on Taiwan, but I absolutely do not agree with Taiwan giving up to China just because of the rule of China by the communists and the rights that are not allowed to be enjoyed by the people of China. US one china policy is no policy at all when it comes to decisions and yes US has been playing Taiwan as a Chess match with CHina which absolutely sucks in my opinion. I do understand the arms issue though. All the time US has offered Taiwan the arms deal was when Chen was president and the KMT kept the deal from going forth the whole time. Now KMT is in getting closer to China and the arms deal seems to be going no where as the US has taken it off the tble as it seems when dealing with the KMT as a ruler that has continually catered to China and has given much more than anyone sees China ever giving back to Taiwan until they have Taiwan and Taiwan accepts the conditions as being an internal part of China. But what I find a little dangerous at this point and time is Ma playing the chess match with China when China has always held the advantage and only play by their own rules and Ma is bowing to these rules and hopefully not to the point of going to far.. Where is the line for Ma and where is the line the people of Taiwan will draw? Is there one?

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  yosun at 02:17 PM JST - 2nd October

  Well, first of all, I believe most Taiwanese prefer to keep what we are right now, that is we want to keep democracy and at the same time we would not like war. to do this we won't go independent and also we won't consider to take part in China if communist holding power there. so actually we're somewhere between 2 lines and the exact place maybe up to international situation(it needs friends but we don't have many~). Second, Taiwanese don't really trust all those politician so there is a saying in Taiwan : " Suppose one day a crazy man randomly killed 9 of 10 politician he met on road, God might say he is not guilty! " . So I suggest you don't care what any of those politician say and don't judge anything that they decided. sometimes they did those things because of election ... etc. Basically, I can't say that we Taiwanese are some greatest people blablabla but we just keep trying to find the best way/answer for ourselves.

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  TonyUS at 02:28 PM JST - 3rd October

  I think Taiwan has many friends but because of pressures from CHina on the other countries, the other countries just do not openly acknowledge it. I do not trust politicians and the motives behind their actions and decisions. While all these countries worry about the direction in which China will take in the future, the worries do not stop them from supporting and strengthening the communist system and empowering them economically.. to advance into a superpower position. I just hope Taiwanese find their own way before China forces them in to China’s way. As for all the threats China makes towards Taiwan and laws passed on Taiwan like the anti-succession law, and the military advancements China is making, things could go in an undesirable direction very quickly. What is a little strange is… Here in the US , if it was not for the internet and articles on the internet, here in the US there would be nothing about China and Taiwan and people would be blind to that issue because major news networks seem to be off limits to anything to do with China except maybe some trivial matters that have nothing to do with politics or even the communist leadership and especially the Taiwan issue. All that is reported is on the up and up on China and its advancements, but nothing on any of the basic principles of the system still in place, even the Tibet uprising was nothing of coverage or made to be of importance on major networks on TV. So as for trust in politicians, I find it a crime even in democracies how the politicians can hide from the public issues that should be important within a society to shape public opinion by not reporting openly on certain issues. Here China is our number one trade partner, the country that we have the largest trade deficit with, and the public hears nothing from major news networks about this country of China. So yes, I do not in the least trust politicians and I do not trust Ma as well as the politicians here in the US. I think you are wrong about not having very many friends as for there are not very many that trust China and that is not the case when it comes to Taiwan, except at this time I do not put much trust in Ma and all that he seems to be handing over to China voluntarily. I think this may be hurting the trust others have held for Taiwan, not knowing the direction Taiwan is going to take now. Good luck Yosun!

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