Ma Ying-jeou

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Taiwan Elects First Female President

Pro-independence president-elect promises 'new era'

(Newser) - Tsai Ing-wen promised a "new era" for Taiwan on Saturday after being elected as the island's first female president. The 59-year-old, from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, defeated the Nationalist Party's Eric Chu with around 60% of the vote, reports the Los Angeles Times . Tsai will take...

This Handshake Is a First in Chinese History

President of China, Taiwan meet on neutral ground

(Newser) - The leaders of China and Taiwan met Saturday for the first time since the formerly bitter Cold War foes split amid civil war 66 years ago, and though no concrete agreement resulted, both hailed the meeting as a sign of a new stability in relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping and...

Taiwan Re-Elects China-Friendly Prez

Ma Ying-jeou promises 'sovereignty,' more economic ties with mainland

(Newser) - Taiwan has re-elected President Ma Ying-jeou, in a move that might make China smile, but not so fast: Ma says he's more interested in building economic ties with the mainland than re-unifying, reports Bloomberg . Ma won a second term in yesterday's elections, beating the pro-independence opposition candidate 51....

Dalai Lama to Visit Taiwan
 Dalai Lama to Visit Taiwan 

Dalai Lama to Visit Taiwan

(Newser) - Taiwan has agreed to let the Dalai Lama visit the island to comfort survivors of a devastating typhoon, a decision that could anger China. Beijing considers the Buddhist spiritual leader a "splittist" for promoting autonomy in the Chinese region of Tibet. Allowing him to visit Taiwan could undermine the...

Typhoon Toll Hits 500 as Taiwanese Are Buried Alive

(Newser) - Flooding and mudslides caused by Typhoon Morakot killed over 500 people in Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou said today in the country's first firm estimate of casualty figures. Some 400 people are believed to have been buried alive in a single village, the BBC reports. The military has now reopened a...

Taiwan Rebuffs China's Call for Peace Talks

Despite advances, self-governing island still suspects Beijing

(Newser) - The president of Taiwan dismissed any possible peace talks with China in the near future, saying that tension remains too high to discuss political or military issues. The comment came after Wen Jiabao, the Chinese prime minister, called for new cross-Strait discussions at his annual address to the Beijing legislature....

Historic Talks Bring China, Taiwan Closer Than Ever

First high-level talks since 1949 yield trade agreements amid opposition protests

(Newser) - The first high-level talks between China and Taiwan in 60 years have set aside politics in favor of building trade ties, Reuters reports. Negotiations in Taipei sidestepped the sovereignty question and yielded 13 agreements to triple the number of cross-strait flights, allow direct cargo shipments, improve food safety, and normalize...

Historic China-Taiwan Flights Take Off

Tourists visit old nationalist stronghold

(Newser) - Commercial flights between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan resumed today for the first time in 60 years, with simultaneous flights landing at  the Taipei and Shanghai airports, the BBC reports. China Southern Airline's chairman described the first flight to land in Taipei as "a sacred moment." The agreement...

New Taiwan President Makes China Overtures

Ma Ying-jeou seeks closer link between Beijing, Taipei

(Newser) - Since his election as Taiwan's president last March, Ma Ying-jeou has already begun negotiations with Beijing and moved to bring mainland Chinese tourists to the island. In an English-language interview with the New York Times, Ma sets out an ambitious plan for new cross-strait relations: direct links via air and...

China,Taiwan Agree on Cross-Strait Flights

First talks in almost ten years reflect rapidly warming relations

(Newser) - The first talks between China and Taiwan in almost a decade have yielded a historic travel agreement, reports Reuters. Regular flights between the two will begin next month for the first time since the Communists won China's civil war in 1949. Relations between the rivals—still officially at war—have...

China Rips Dalai Lama for Olympic 'Sabotage'

Leader plotting to hold games 'hostage,' says Beijing

(Newser) - Beijing is charging that the Dalai Lama incited recent protests in Tibet as part of a "terror" plot to ruin the Olympic games, Reuters reports. "The Dalai Lama is scheming to take the Beijing Olympics hostage to force the Chinese government to make concessions to Tibet independence,"...

Pro-China Party Wins in Taiwan
 Pro-China Party Wins in Taiwan 

Pro-China Party Wins in Taiwan

President-elect Ma favors reunification with (a democratic) China

(Newser) - Taiwan’s China-friendly opposition party handily beat the island’s ruling party in today’s presidential election, signaling smoother relations between the feuding governments, Reuters reports. President-elect Ma Ying-jeou, who won the vote over the Democratic Progressive Party 58%-42%, campaigned on a call for stronger economic ties with Beijing.

Taiwan Moves Toward Closer Ties With China

Prez candidates favor warmer relations, despite Tibet violence

(Newser) - Both candidates in Taiwan's presidential election Saturday favor mending fences with China, the Wall Street Journal reports. Beijing has recently eased its once-blustery rhetoric over the breakaway island, and both Taiwanese parties are betting that closer ties with the mainland's booming economy could help pull theirs out of a slump.

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