The Chinese leadership has been more severe in the censorship of the media, its crackdown on underground churches, dissidents and the Internet.

The emergence of third-generation-capable mobile phones, flat-screen televisions and intelligent automobiles will help the industry to expand further this year.

Certainly this is an attempt to put pressure on Chen.

(Beijing) hopes to establish legal basis for (its) Taiwan policy ... and Chinese leaders want to establish a base line.

It will take time and there will be no immediate breakthroughs. But someone has to take the first step.

Taiwan probably will try to present itself as a victim of the law.

A lot of the older peasants, how can they find other employment? They have lost their land, they have no money, they have no social security, they cannot find jobs. There are bound to be serious, serious social problems.

You need to have concrete proposals, and I think the leadership is ready to offer something.

A new prime minister will always have an opportunity to make a fresh gesture to improve relations. And I think Chinese leaders would also like to seize the opportunity.

An improvement in his image in the eyes of the Chinese people will strengthen his hand and show that he is in control, that he is no longer restrained by Jiang Zemin.