b********n
发帖数: 4256 | 1 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f926fd14-df93-11e0-845a-00144feabdc0.
US and China keep close eye on Taiwan race
Taiwan’s elections have always had their fair share of drama. When it
started electing its president 15 years ago, China fired missiles over the
island and later polls saw candidates shot on the eve of the vote.
But the campaign ahead of the next presidential poll in January has been
remarkably dull, even though the stakes are higher than ever. Tsai Ing-wen,
leader of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive party, aims to unseat
President Ma Ying-jeou, the architect of three years of unprecedented cross-
strait stability.
Taiwan’s elections have always had their fair share of drama. When it
started electing its president 15 years ago, China fired missiles over the
island and later polls saw candidates shot on the eve of the vote.
But the campaign ahead of the next presidential poll in January has been
remarkably dull, even though the stakes are higher than ever. Tsai Ing-wen,
leader of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive party, aims to unseat
President Ma Ying-jeou, the architect of three years of unprecedented cross-
strait stability.
Since Mr Ma took office in 2008, Beijing and Taipei have signed a historic
trade deal, opened the island to growing numbers of Chinese tourists, and
held frequent talks. This represented an abrupt change from the previous
decade, when Beijing refused to talk to Taiwan’s government, Taipei focused
on cementing its de facto independence and China retaliated with threats.
The rapprochement was made possible by Mr Ma’s decision not to dwell on
sovereignty issues and focus on the economy. On the Chinese side, President
Hu Jintao bet that Mr Ma’s Kuomintang, a party founded on the mainland,
might help stop Taiwan’s drift away from China.
Now the January election calls everything into question. According to a
recent opinion poll by Global Views Survey Research Center, Ms Tsai and Mr
Ma are locked in a close race with just over 35 per cent of respondents
supporting Mr Ma and about 34 per cent saying they would vote for Ms Tsai.
In a very unusual move that underscores the stakes, the Obama has directly
criticised the policies of one of the candidates. A senior official told the
Financial Times that Ms Tsai left the administration with “distinct doubts
about whether she is both willing and able to continue the stability in
cross-strait relations”.
Washington, which acts as guarantor of Taiwan’s de facto independence with
a legally binding pledge to help the island defend itself, has intervened in
elections before, when DPP candidates campaigned on independence-related
issues. However, it has rarely commented on individual candidates.
The US’s involvement in the Taiwan strait was most clearly demonstrated in
1996, when China launched missiles into the waters ahead of Taiwan’s first
democratic presidential elections. Bill Clinton, then US president,
responded by ordering the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier into the strait.
Ms Tsai, a soft-spoken seasoned bureaucrat with a PhD from the London School
of Economics, is moderate compared with her predecessors. She wants to
broaden the DPP’s agenda from a focus on independence to economic and
social issues.
Some Chinese experts recognise that. “There is almost no difference between
Tsai Ing-wen and Ma Ying-jeou,” says a Chinese academic who advises the
Chinese government on Taiwan.
But observers warn that the cross-strait rapprochement is on shaky ground as
Mr Hu’s approach to Taiwan is not uncontested within the Chinese Communist
party. The party is also preparing to elect a new generation of leaders
next year.
“More of us have been invited over here recently and asked a lot of
questions about the election,” says Chiu Tai-san, a DPP politician who
teaches law at Asia University in Taichung. “[Our Chinese hosts] are all
very nervous about the election because a DPP victory could be used to argue
that Hu’s Taiwan policy failed.”
Mr Hu has tried to help Mr Ma sell closer relations with China to Taiwanese
voters by mentioning unification, Beijing’s ultimate goal for Taiwan, much
less frequently. This has irked some in the Communist party. China retains a
threat of force should Taipei declare formal independence.
“There are voices, including within our government, that advocate less
patience,” says a Chinese expert on Taiwan policy.
For China’s military, unification remains a top strategic goal. It deployed
missiles targeting Taiwan at an undiminished pace even as Mr Hu and Mr Ma
edged closer. Xi Jinping, Mr Hu’s anointed successor, has much closer
personal ties than Mr Hu to some of China’s leading generals.
Analysts say these ties could either allow Mr Xi a freer hand to further
relax Taiwan policy, since he has their trust, or herald a tougher line as
military hawks gain influence. But before any of that plays out, Beijing
will closely watch Ms Tsai’s every move.
“There is a period of adjustment after every Taiwan election,” says the
Chinese policy adviser. “If she gives in to the more radical elements in
her party, then that will tie our hands.” | l***5
发帖数: 3433 | | b********n
发帖数: 4256 | 3 A senior official told the Financial Times that Ms Tsai left the
administration with “distinct doubts about whether she is both willing and
able to continue the stability in cross-strait relations”.
美政府官员说如果菜上台，会对海峡两岸的稳定有没有帮助，感到怀疑云云。。。
一般美国政府很少说对台湾选情有影响的言论。。。
【在 l***5 的大作中提到】
: 要的武器都不賣,還說擔心啥的?
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