[quote=“Mick”]Ma’s performance has been terrible, this is true.
But to Muzha Man and Feiren, the DPP adopted a policy of engaging the PRC only on a state to state basis. Which China would rather poke red hot needles in their eyes. It was a policy of isolation from a giant neighbor.
Please, either put forward how Frank’s vision was different, or how such policy, over an extended period, could work for Taiwan.
I’m all ears.[/quote]
Work in what sense? Remember it was Lee Teng Hui who first declared China-Taiwan relations were state to state so it has been the status quo for a long time. During that time Taiwanese investment in China skyrocketed, a million Taiwanese moved to China for work, and our economies grew ever more linked. What isolation are you talking about? I am all ears?
I am also all ears how a policy of capitulation is going to help? We have seen already that the Chinese approach to Ma is to go into negotiations assuming they have all the bargaining power because Ma has to fulfill the promises he made to the electorate (whereas the Chinese aren’t answerable to anyone).
What would be my solution? Well, since most Taiwanese businesses in China are making products for export, and not the domestic Chinese market, we really don’t need to be there do we? Encourage business to return to Taiwan and upgrade (in any case many are returning as labor costs rise in China). I would also suggest continuing the DPP’s tourism policies which focused on the groups that were already coming in the millions, and longer range plans for western tourists.
Continue to upgrade the agricultural sector. We made great gains under the DPP. Taiwanese fruit and rice is sold in Japan, Korea, and Malaysia (at a premium) and Hualian organic produce is now being exported to Canada. Food costs are rising around the world. There’s going to be a lot of instability. We need a strong agriculural sector for the future and we definitely need to be protecting ourself from Chinese imports.
The cabinet recently approved loans to upgrade traditional industries here in Taiwan such as bikes, golf clubs, leather, high tech fabrics, etc. Great and more of this please. Let’s keep as many jobs and industries here as we can.
Direct flights. Great. It will help a small amount. But remember that the DPP laid all the groundwork for this and the Ma admin threw all the advantage away by promising a date for direct flights. The real issue is direct cargo flights and we don’t have those. If we get them I will say well done.
As for Frank’s vision, I am not of the camp who thinks he could have made a go of it with a KMT legislative majority. In a normal country I think he would have made the better leader (even with a hostile legislative) but I reluctantly supported Ma as I thought under him the KMT would in fact enact all the policies they had been blocking for years. I assumed that they were blocking them for partisan reasons but understood they were necessary. I mean sunshine bills, land and water use bills, judicial reforms, etc. Sad to say the present legislative has no intention of putting the needs of Taiwan first.
My prediction though is that Wang Jyn Ping is goign to ram a lot of needed legislation over the comign years but be sure he is credited in the media. He will then run for president in 2012 when Ma’s star has sunk below the horizon and the DPP are still squabbling over whether to allow the pro-Chen groups to attend the next protest rally. 
You overstate your importance…big time.