The initial results indicated Taiwan voters were refusing to buckle under Beijing's pressure, and were again thumbing their noses at the mainland. Voters ignored Beijing's rhetoric during the island's first direct presidential poll in 1996, even though China conducted war games off its coast, which led the United States to send forces into the region. We should wait until after Chen Shui-bian is in power before we begin to fear China. I have been hearing these words of terror for many, many years. Many young people in Taiwan appear to have lost interest in their Chinese ancestry and are frustrated with Beijing's efforts to absorb their island.
China is like a hungry tiger.
There is no point trying to drag out negotiations with a hungry China. Beijing Bureau Chief Rebecca MacKinnon, Hong Kong Bureau Chief Mike Chinoy, Correspondent Karuna Shinsho, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.