Pro-China Candidate Wins Taiwan Election

More than a decade of tension between Taiwan and mainland China looked set to ease today with the victory of nationalist party candidate Ma Ying-jeou in the island's presidential election.

Despite a last-minute attempt by his opponent, Frank Hsieh of the Democratic People's party, to exploit fears over China's crackdown on Tibetan unrest, voters put more priority on improved business ties with the mainland - which they hope will galvanize an economy that has lagged behind many of its Asian neighbors.

Ma has promised to boost investment and trade ties, establish regular scheduled flights across the strait, and to negotiate a peace treaty between the two sides.

With more than 99% of the vote counted, Ma, a former mayor of Taipei, secured 58%, while Hsieh lagged far behind with 42%. Turnout was about 76%.

"People want a clean a government instead of a corrupt one," said Ma at a victory rally. "They want a good economy, not a sluggish one. They don't want political feuding. They want peace across the Taiwan Strait. Not war."

Television images from his campaign headquarters showed jubilant supporters waving flags, cheering and setting off celebratory fireworks.

In contrast to the tense, tightly fought election in 2004, the losing candidate conceded defeat relatively early.

"Don't cry for me today," said Hsieh, a former prime minister, as some in the crowd wept. "Although we lost the election, we have a more important mission. The torch of democracy should not be extinguished."

The result is likely to prompt a change of tack in Taipei's policy towards Beijing.

Ma has promised a break with the pro-independence stance of the outgoing president, Chen Shui-bian, who was detested by the mainland's communist leadership. Chen was unable to stand again after serving the maximum two four-year terms.

Ma has proposed a peace treaty that would demilitarize the Taiwan Strait, and said he would ease restrictions on mainland investments by Taiwanese businesses.

Opponents say Ma - who participated in previous nationalist dictatorship governments - will concede too much of the self-ruled island's autonomy and democracy by cosying up to the authoritarian administration in Beijing.

But Ma says he will not discuss unification. Recognizing the island's distinct identity and strong desire to maintain political freedoms not permitted on the mainland, he has tried to put some distance between himself and Beijing during the campaign.

The Chinese government has yet to comment on the result, though officials in Beijing have made little secret of their preference for Ma.

In a brief report on the result, China's official Xinhua News Agency said Ma's had won the island's "leadership election" - reflecting Beijing's refusal to recognize Taiwan's government.

It also noted the failure of two referenumsa on whether Taiwan should apply to join the United Nations. The referendums - held in conjunction with the presidential vote - were described by China as a threat to peace.

China, which has over 1,000 missiles aimed across the strait, says it will use force to prevent any move towards formal independence.

Recently Beijing has adopted a relatively soft tone in comparison to its earlier, more bellicose rhetoric. Instead, it has encouraged others to criticize Taipei on its behalf. The United States, Russia and Britain opposed the referendum on UN membership.

A Ma victory looks likely to usher in a more relaxed regional environment. But its impact on Taiwan's still-young democracy is less sure. Having already won a landslide victory in January's legislative elections, Ma's party - which ran a dictatorship less than 20 years ago - once again has formidable power to pursue its agenda.