L05-10 参考资料 金融时报选文 13.doc

01 STRAITENED TIMES By Kathrin Hille Thursday, March 27, 2008 After Ma Ying-jeou won Taiwans presidential election on Saturday, jubilant supporters of his Kuomintang partied at the KMT headquarters all night. Investors were still celebrating when the market reopened on Monday, with stocks rising 4 per cent before easing back slightly yesterday. Behind the exuberance stands the belief that the KMTs return to power could prove a historic moment – that it will put Taiwan on a track to closer economic integration with China, give the island its rightful share of the benefits of Chinas growth and defuse one of Asias most dangerous latent conflicts. “The KMT and the Chinese leadership have a common objective: economic development on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the easing of tension. They will work towards the goal of economic integration and the revitalisation of Taiwans economy,” says Peter Sutton, head of research at the Taipei office of CLSA, a regional brokerage. Mr Ma says he wants to put disagreements over Taiwans status aside and start talks with Beijing – first on economic issues and eventually on a peace accord. While China has long claimed sovereignty over the island and threatens to attack it should Taiwan formalise its de facto independence, Chinese leaders have responded by saying they are ready to communicate with any Taiwanese politician who does not actively push for independence. All of this contrasts sharply with the atmosphere that has prevailed in the Taiwan Strait for most of the past decade. Both Chen Shui-bian, the incumbent president from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive party, in office since 2000, and his predecessor Lee Teng-hui started out with a pragmatic approach to China but quickly hardened their attitude after Beijing frustrated their efforts. As a result, the semi-official dialogue that started in 1992 – the furthest the two sides had come since the KMT lost the civil war in China to the Chinese Communist party in 194