Ma wants China to adopt a policy of
de facto ‘mutual non-denial’. He asked for that in 2008 but China continued as normal - squeezing and attacking Taiwan's space on the international stage. Now he's asking for it again. I'd put good money that China will never say aloud that it agrees to any such thing. Then again, Ma doesn't need them to do so - he'll use their silence as evidence of their tacit agreement despite all the evidence actually pointing the other way.
Ma's true colours came out though in this neat quote:
“We cherish Taiwan and identify with the ROC,” he said. “We wish the best for Taiwan and want the ROC to flourish.” Ah ... only cherish Taiwan but
identify with the ROC. Wish the best for Taiwan but
want the ROC to flourish. In the lead up to the non-celebrations of 100 years of ROC incompetence, theft and brutality, ma will be ladling on the ROC nationalism thickly - only problem is that whilst Taiwanese love their country and will even be proud of the ROC flag, they really don't regard the ROC as their country but rather Taiwan. The tragedy of Taiwanese politics is that whilst 90% of the population has moved on and consigned the ROC largely to history, the ruling 10% see the ROC as the past, present and future. To them, a Taiwan without an ROC is the final end to their dreams of an imagined China, past, present and future - they are psychologically incapable of adopting a Taiwanese identity. They can only cherish it , I imagine much like a baby cherishes a communal toy in a communal sandpit and imagines it as their own.
