China-Taiwan relations continue to warm

ARTICLE: Taiwan, China leaders exchange 1st direct messages, By Debby Wu, Associated Press, Jul 27, 2009

The key bit:

The Taiwanese and Chinese presidents swapped messages Monday, the first such exchange since the two sides split amid civil war 60 years ago.

They did so in their capacity as ruling party leaders, rather than as heads of state, to skirt the disputed issue of Taiwan's sovereignty.

It was the latest sign in rapidly improving relations between the once bitter enemies. In the 14 months since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took power, those ties have morphed from mutual suspicion and antipathy to bilateral expressions of amity and understanding, amid thriving trade and investment.

This continues to proceed nicely.

(Thanks: Vonne Barnett)

Comments

[Matt Osborne]

Is it possible for Taiwan to actually integrate with the mainland?

[Ted O'Connor]

There is a new addition to our family...a grand niece with a happy little girl smile. I was looking at a recent photo of her sent by the proud mom. I realized that this child has no memory of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, 1st Gulf, 911, the invasion of Iraq, the Soviet menace or the Rolling Stones. She will have to read about it all in history books. That is if they are still using books when she starts school. There are few men left alive who were evacuated from the mainland to the islands under the protection of American guns. Their children are grandparents now. Who, on the mainland, ever talks of Mao and the "Long March?" The main worry that the old communist government had was that if the United States invaded the mainland, it would have a government in exile waiting to move in and take over. "Government in a 'hand carved' box" so to speak. (Sorry Tom) Well, the invasion has taken place but without the Marines. Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Buick, and baseball caps stormed the beaches instead. The Chinese are more self confident now, less paranoid. Taiwan is hardly on the minds of the young Chinese hustling and bustling to make a living in the big sprawling cities.