Cross Straits

摘要

Since the inauguration in May of President Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan has seen a number of protests against him and his China-friendly policies. The demonstration in Taipei on October 25th was the biggest yet. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (dpp), which organised it, claims 600,000 took part. One lorry bore an enormous black jackboot decorated with the stars from the Chinese flag, threatening to stamp on the president.rnThe protest was sparked by the planned visit to Taiwan of Chen Yunlin, Beijing's top negotiator on Taiwan, for talks starting on November 3rd, the first Taiwan-China negotiations ever held on Taiwanese soil. Mr Chen will be the highest-level Chinese official to visit Taiwan since the end of the civil war in 1949.