Taiwan President-Elect Urges Closer Ties to Mainland

[freedomnorth]

Source: NYT

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Hours after winning Taiwan’s presidential elections by a decisive margin, Ma Ying-jeou said Sunday that he would pursue closer economic relations with mainland China, confidence-building measures to reduce the chance of an accidental war and eventually a peace agreement with Beijing.

Mr. Ma also said at a news conference that he hoped to improve relations with the United States. The Bush administration has been deeply irritated by Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan’s president for the past eight years, for repeatedly antagonizing the mainland by inching toward political independence, even while counting on American support to counter any Chinese aggression.

“I will lay the foundation for a century of peace and prosperity,” Mr. Ma said, mentioning that he hopes to serve two four-year terms.

His wide margin of victory — he defeated Frank Hsieh of the Democratic Progressive Party by a vote of 58 percent to 42 percent — puts him in a very strong position to carry out his agenda, political analysts said. Mr. Ma will become Taiwan’s first president who campaigned mainly on seeking closer relations with Beijing, paving the way for a considerable lessening of tensions in one of Asia’s oldest flashpoints.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/world/asia/24taiwan.html