After the DPP...

The Taipei Times does the job for which they are paid (support of the Democratic Progressive Party: 民主進步黨) by reporting the comments of Chen Shui-Bian (陳水扁) on the current administration's ECFA (Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement) negotiations with China. I agree with this:

"Chen also accused Ma of lying when he said that it would be easier for Taiwan to sign free-trade agreements (FTA) with other countries after both sides of the Taiwan Strait sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA). As Beijing never saw Taiwan as a country, but rather as a region of China, Chen said China could not agree that Taiwan is eligible to sign FTAs with other countries."

Ma believes he can help to bring about the democratization of China whilst achieving reunification - whereas Chen was always a strong advocate of Taiwanese independence. Chen is the realist here, not Ma and this is disturbing because the Taiwanese nationalist movement, whilst still maintaining some measure of political power, is fast becoming an historical relic. It is a party whose popular support is predominantly among the older generations and which has returned to being little more than a protest badge. Although they differ from the Nationalists by their clamoring for independence, the political "principles" they hold for the actually running of the country are indistinguishable from the national-socialism-lite of their opponents . The State must distribute its' weight around the funding and management of the key areas of the economy: monetary policy and banking, the military, education, healthcare, transport infrastructure, agriculture and the large electronics industry. The disagreements between the two parties on these matters are small potatoes with no serious difference in principle - for example, neither of the parties has its' electoral candidates campaign on a promise to cut back the interference of the State.