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US legislator intrigued by ‘one country, two areas’

Taipei Times

Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang, left, yesterday welcomes US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, second left, who is chairwoman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and some other guests at a lunch party in Taipei.
Photo: CNA

US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen yesterday said she was intrigued by the “one country, two areas (一國兩區)” formula advocated by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) during his inauguration speech and added that she would seek clarification about its implications.

“We asked him [Ma] about the statement he had made. We asked other individuals as well about that phrase and how it could be interpreted in different ways,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

Raining on Ma Ying-jeou’s parade

Taipei Times Editorial

As a leader who won a decisive re-election in January, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration for a second term yesterday was short on celebratory atmosphere, with barbed-wired barricades blocking off areas near the Presidential Office from protesters.

Ma is probably the first president in the nation’s history to be inaugurated amid a large-scale protest that included not only pan-green groups, but also many who voted for him.

Washington must stand by its old ally Taiwan

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Taiwan’s peaceful transfer of political power offers further evidence that the regime in Beijing is wrong when it suggests democracy is not possible in China.

Taiwan remains an embarrassment to Beijing’s aging leadership who condescendingly assert that market-based democratic traditions are inconsistent with Chinese culture. In the blogosphere Chinese are increasingly asking: “If Taiwan can democratically elect a president, why can’t we?”

MA’S RE-INAUGURATION: Taiwanese come together to protest

Taipei Times

Part of the Democratic Progressive Party’s march to manifest the public’s dissatisfaction with President Ma Ying-jeou sets out from Wanhua train station in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times

People from all walks of life took to the streets in Taipei yesterday to voice their dissatisfaction with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) governance.

A group of Hakka people held big black flags with calligraphy in white that read yimin (義民, “righteous people”) as they marched. The flag is modeled on the black flags used by Hakka militias who defended their home villages during an uprising against the Qing Dynasty in 1786 and again when they fought against the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1895.

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