China Gives Taiwan Another Slap in the Face: Ma Ying-jeou Waits to See What Way the Wind is Blowing.

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Thursday November 18, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Taiwanese Taekwondo champion, Yang Shu-chun was disqualified by judges in China in a controversial call over the type of socks she was wearing in what appears to have been a set-up to get her out of the competition.

With this second slap in the face, following that of the Tokyo Film Festival, the government of Ma Ying-jeou appears to be waiting to see what way the wind of Taiwanese protest is blowing before it comes out with an official statement.

Ma has consistently been boasting of how his kow-towing to China has eased tension in the Taiwan Strait is now at a bit of a loss. Ma doesn't want to criticize China, but if the wind of political protest is going that way, it looks like he will be forced to.

This is the question that Taiwanese have to ask themselves about their President. Do they want a man who waits to see what way public opinion is going before he makes up his mind? Since Ma goes out of his way to not offend China, it looks like Taiwan will get a lot more slaps in the face before Ma realizes that the people don't want the placating China policy that he practices and claims is bringing peace to the Taiwan Strait.