Oooh I hope the hurry up with this, I want to visit Taiwan during my visit to China this June and going to HK to do it is a pain in the A 😛

April 14, 2008 @ 8:20 pm | Comment

TOTALLY off topic, did anyone else notice that Blogspot was open in China for several days, then blocked again? Still getting BBC news though.

April 14, 2008 @ 8:25 pm | Comment

I’m surprised no one has brought up the Siew-Hu meeting at Boao.

April 14, 2008 @ 9:04 pm | Comment

those crazy chinese! even james dean would be jealous at what rebels they are.

April 14, 2008 @ 10:00 pm | Comment

correct me if im wrong, but i can remember of an article in the economist that said that there are charter flights from the special economic zone guangzhou in china to taiwan.

April 14, 2008 @ 10:55 pm | Comment

enough with the ice metaphors!

April 14, 2008 @ 11:03 pm | Comment

Taiwan finally opening up huh?

April 15, 2008 @ 2:36 am | Comment

The Taiwanese will come to regret voting for the KMT. The fact that they were willing to abandon the DPP for the prospect of a slightly lower unemployment rate and in doing so imperil their freedom and future generations is evidence enough that they do not deserve the freedoms they have.

In a Republic, voters get the government they deserve.

April 15, 2008 @ 4:45 am | Comment

Taiwan finally opening up huh?

Actually the other way around. Taiwan has agreed to direct flights for years – but China wouldn’t allow talks on the issue without tying it to acknowledging the one-China principle.

April 15, 2008 @ 5:00 am | Comment

The Taiwanese will come to regret voting for the KMT. The fact that they were willing to abandon the DPP for the prospect of a slightly lower unemployment rate and in doing so imperil their freedom and future generations is evidence enough that they do not deserve the freedoms they have.

So I guess you don’t see the value in punishing politicians for corruption and going against the will of the people?

In a Republic, voters get the government they deserve

Correct, enjoy your financial meltdown and your $1 trillion war.

April 15, 2008 @ 7:05 am | Comment

>enjoy your financial meltdown and your $1 trillion war.

The whole world is not inhabited by Americans. You’d be surprised.

Enjoy your world-record breaking demographic decline, labour shortages, NPLs and fail.

April 15, 2008 @ 8:29 am | Comment

Something tells me we’re still quite a ways away from cross strait flights. I don’t think there’s been much talk about because this is more symbolism than anything else.
And, I do actually agree with ferin about the KMT- they’re not (entirely) the old KMT. After the A-Bian fiasco that was the last 8 years they deserve a second chance.

April 15, 2008 @ 12:03 pm | Comment

Personally, I think a lot of the “fiasco” that was the Chen Shui-bian administration was caused by the KMT. They had an unfortunate habit of blocking up business in the Legislative Yuan and then blaming the DPP for being ineffective. On the corruption front, well, the KMT have no leg to stand on in that regard, as anyone who remembers the one-party days can tell you.

April 15, 2008 @ 1:11 pm | Comment

Personally, I think a lot of the “fiasco” that was the Chen Shui-bian administration was caused by the KMT. They had an unfortunate habit of blocking up business in the Legislative Yuan and then blaming the DPP for being ineffective.

Such an old argument of DPP for the fools. Taiwan president has absolute power at using yearly budget anyway he wants (barring minimum distributions for education and military spending as required by the ROC constitution). Also, even if there is a budget deadlock in the legislative Yuan, the funding is continued as last year. Such deadlocks will stop Taiwan from additional military purchases; however, they will not stop any government projects from moving forward unless you use the money for “investments” in the central and south America.

the KMT have no leg to stand on in that regard, as anyone who remembers the one-party days can tell you.

For anyone who thinks KMT rules under Chiang Ching-kuo were more corrupt than DPP are fools. Yes, this is my personal opinion, and probably majority of Taiwanese. That’s why they voted for Ma overwhelmingly. However, I would love for pro-greens to keep thinking that way because they will lose another election after another. Just look at them right now. What are the DPPs doing now? Taking shots at each other within their own ranks, and look absolutely without shame. Great!

April 15, 2008 @ 1:41 pm | Comment

however, they will not stop any government projects from moving forward unless you use the money for “investments” in the central and south America.

Actually, public investments are also held up. There was a big problem a while ago because local governments didn’t get the money they needed for their projects.

That’s why they voted for Ma overwhelmingly.

That doesn’t follow. They voted for Ma because they wanted a change and they thought he would do it. When it comes to corruption I think most Taiwanese now see the KMT and DPP as the same.

April 15, 2008 @ 3:48 pm | Comment

Actually, public investments are also held up. There was a big problem a while ago because local governments didn’t get the money they needed for their projects.

You do know how Taiwan local governments get their money right…they are distributed from the executive branch general fund not from the legislative Yuan. I don’t live in Taiwan even I know this. Btw, if I am wrong please point out a source for it. That’s why when Ma was the mayor of Taipei he got short changed from the DPP controlled executive branch.

That doesn’t follow. They voted for Ma because they wanted a change and they thought he would do it. When it comes to corruption I think most Taiwanese now see the KMT and DPP as the same.

Fine, I will take the same. And that doesn’t put DPP in any good light.

April 15, 2008 @ 4:39 pm | Comment

The whole world is not inhabited by Americans. You’d be surprised.

So where are you from, Eurabia? Australia? It’s quite obvious you support the DPP, given your rhetoric and evident mental retardation.

Enjoy your world-record breaking demographic decline, labour shortages, NPLs and fail.

Of course Taiwan is going to have a demographic decline.. it’s already immensely overpopulated.

April 16, 2008 @ 5:14 am | Comment

I’m guessing “Some guy” is a Wapanese Australian /b/tard who feels China is a significant threat to his livelihood.. i.e a military threat to anime porn, pocky, and realistic sex dolls.

April 16, 2008 @ 5:38 am | Comment

Here is a quote from Some guy (Peanut Butter) on the site he’s linked to, /n/.

http://plus4chan.org/boards/n/5.html

► Anonymous 08/04/13(Sun)10:54 No. 8027
>>7865

► Peanut Butter!JkT8q4gSdA 08/04/13(Sun)15:44 No. 8059
>>8027
That IS my point.

Just as a warning, lots of WN here but WN comments tend to get deleted. You can’t say what people are thinking 😉

April 16, 2008 @ 6:26 am | Comment

Just to be clear, the Anon quote isn’t me. The fact is that I can’t really disagree with the argument that the ANC government is driving the country down the drain and that the country is suffering from a terrible skills and security crisis. I don’t consider myself a WN, and I would never use that kind of vocabulary myself, but crudely as the statement was expressed, I can’t really disagree that South Africa’s new polical system has been a failure.

In any case, you’re derailing this thread.

April 16, 2008 @ 11:19 am | Comment

>I’m guessing “Some guy” is a Wapanese Australian /b/tard who feels China is a significant threat to his livelihood.. i.e a military threat to anime porn, pocky, and realistic sex dolls.

I don’t visit /b/ and I don’t like any of those things.

btw, way to derail this thread.

April 16, 2008 @ 11:23 am | Comment

That’s Ferin’s specialty. When he’s wrong about something, he just begins the personal attacks.

April 16, 2008 @ 11:51 am | Comment

>For anyone who thinks KMT rules under Chiang Ching-kuo were more corrupt than DPP are fools. Yes, this is my personal opinion, and probably majority of Taiwanese. That’s why they voted for Ma overwhelmingly.

The fact that most Taiwanese voted for Ma doesn’t in itself “prove” that the old KMT was less corrupt than the DPP during Chen’s government.

April 16, 2008 @ 12:21 pm | Comment

@ Ferin:

You are correct in that Taiwan is currently experiencing extreme demographic decline, as Japan did before it. The fact is, however, that China too will soon experience even more severe demographic decline as a result of the change in the 1960’s from a policy encouraging people to have as many children as possible (Mao at the time thought it would be an awesome way of building an enormous army) to a one-child policy. Not only will China’s demographic decline be unprecedented in its’ severity, but it will take place at a time when China’s per-capita wealth is much, much lower than when Japan and Taiwan experienced it.

April 16, 2008 @ 1:48 pm | Comment

@austrianbc ,

There have been direct flights between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits for a long time. First, it was defecting air force pilots and hijackings. Lately, it has been chartered flights during Chinese New Years.

April 19, 2008 @ 3:55 pm | Comment