Ostensibly, the purpose of Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
It is a unique occasion in that it marks the first meeting between Taipei's mayor and his Hong Kong counterpart, Tung Chee-hwa (
Although official interaction between Taipei and other major cities in China has been going on for years, it was not until last September when Taipei Deputy Mayor Bai Hsiu-hsiung (
Bai's visit, however, was stalled four times before the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC,
Last July the MAC also rejected Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh's (
A clear message
Ma's meeting with Tung is seen by some analysts as significant because it represents diplomatic headway made despite a deadlock in Taiwan-China talks at the national level.
"It sends out a strong and clear message to the international community that the dialogue across the Taiwan Strait is taking a step forward, especially among local governments," said Tung Chih-sen (
Tung added that China wants to show the Chen Shui-bian (
"The obvious candidates [for China] to talk to are Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou," Tung said. "Hsieh's planned visit to China was rejected because the DPP did not want him to overshadow Chen. That left Ma to make the breakthrough."
But Ma is not Taiwan's first high-profile local government heavyweight to visit China. Last November, Hsinchu County Commissioner Lin Kuang-hua (
Lin's visit was preceded by Hsinchu Mayor Tsai Jen-chien's (
In view of the Hong Kong chief executive's flagging popularity, Tung said that Hong Kong will benefit far more than Taipei from the city-to-city exchange.
"Tung Chee-hwa needs Ma's visit to boost his personal image in the eyes of the Chinese regime because Tung is not one of the central government's favorites. Besides, Hong Kong people love Ma," Tung said.
Philip Yu (游鴻程), a veteran journalist-turned-politician, agreed.
"I believe they won't reach any earth-shattering conclusion at the meeting, but Tung would definitely benefit from the meeting because he needs something to strengthen his relationship with Beijing, and Ma is a good tool," he said. "Tung seems to me a Lee Kuan Yew (
Plenty of political charisma
Deemed as one of the best-looking local government officials, Ma has long been a darling of the media and is highly respected by the public. In addition to his good looks, observers say Ma has other qualities that contribute to his popularity.
"There're two things that he knows very well that he cannot touch: women and money," Tung said. "He's been doing a good job so far.
"In addition, Tung said, "he doesn't encourage favoritism -- whether it be among his family members, colleagues or underlings. Although this gives him a reputation of being clean-cut and honest, it may pose a potential threat to his future political career."
Because he has shied away from cronyism, Ma has no loyal group of supporters -- familiar with his weaknesses and strengths -- who could serve to protect him in times of crisis, he said.
Yang Hsiao-tung (
Comparing Ma with his predecessor Chen Shui-bian, KMT City Councilor Chiang Nai-hsin (
"If Chen is likened to the sun, then Ma is the north wind. Although it takes time for Ma to make a final decision, he always makes the right one," Chiang said.
Tung had similar views to Chiang on the issue.
"I see Chen as a 100m sprinter and Ma more like a marathon runner," he said. "Although the public does not feel the dramatic impact of Ma's policies -- like they do those of Chen's administration -- the outcome is always solid and receives high recognition from the public."
DPP City Councilor Tuan Yi-kang (
"First of all, he doesn't trust people and that doesn't help him in forming a loyal advisory team," Tuan said. "Secondly, he's a very proud man. He thinks he's the purest person in the KMT and maybe the world."
The road to the presidency
Although Ma has reiterated on many occasions that he will seek a second term in the next mayoral election in 2002, it is widely speculated that it is just a matter of time before he decides to runs for the presidency.
Tuan said that it might take as many as seven or eight years for the expectation to materialize, but added that Ma still has much to learn.
"Even James Soong (宋楚瑜), who is an excellent manipulator of the media and the public, lost the presidential election last year. There's still a long way to go for Ma, who lacks Soong's craftiness and a crack advisory team to help him play the dirty game of politics," he said.
Yang said that Ma does not have the intention nor ambition to run for the presidency -- at least not for now.
"Both his personality and the hierarchy within the KMT prevent him from doing that," he said. "But, things can change, politics is always volatile."
Tung said running for a second term as city mayor is the best way for Ma to go.
"He literally doesn't have any competitors in the election. Even Shen Fu-hsiung (
Lee Ping-yin (
"I'm sure that he's destined for greater things," he said. "He's polite, smart and has a great sense of humor. When he was the justice minister, he looked serious; as the city mayor, he's close to the citizens. I believe when he becomes the president, he'll look and act like one -- and a very fine one."
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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