![\"Ma\"](\"http:\/\/www.taiwannews.com.tw\/pub\/mid\/\/APBatch\/20080520\/20080520\/1877591.jpg\")
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If you were wondering how different the new Ma government in Taiwan would be from the DPP government it is replacing you should go read Michael Turton’s analysis<\/a> of Ma’s inauguration speech. (Given in Chinese (I assume Mandarin) with an English translation displayed at the same time)<\/p>\n Ma spends a good deal of time taking digs at his predecessors and promising vague but wonderful things for the future, as is typical is speeches like this. He also refers to the people of Taiwan as part of the \u4e2d\u83ef\u6c11\u65cf, rather than \u56fd\u6c11 or citizens. How to translate \u4e2d\u83ef\u6c11\u65cf? I suppose the most literal way would be “Chinese race” although “Chinese ethnicity” probably sounds better. Both in Taiwan (at least under the KMT) and on the Mainland governments would claim that this “Chinese race” includes ethnic minorities. And, as some of Michael’s commenters point out there are more explicitly Han chauvinist terms he could have used, like \u6f22\u65cf. Still, it is hard to disagree with Michael or with the KMT aboriginal legislator who walked out of of the speech that this term is a lot less welcoming to non-Chinese that the \u56fd\u6c11 that the DPP preferred. I also found it sort of interesting that he explicitly outed himself as a mainlander. “Taiwan is not my birthplace, but it is where I was raised and the resting place of my family. I am forever grateful to society for accepting and nurturing this post-war immigrant.” \u82f1\u4e5d\u96d6\u7136\u4e0d\u662f\u5728\u53f0\u7063\u51fa\u751f\uff0c\u4f46\u53f0\u7063\u662f\u6211\u6210\u9577\u7684\u6545\u9109\uff0c\u662f\u6211\u89aa\u4eba\u57cb\u9aa8\u7684\u6240\u5728\u3002\u6211\u5c24\u5176\u611f\u5ff5\u53f0\u7063\u793e\u6703\u5c0d\u6211\u9019\u6a23\u4e00\u500b\u6230\u5f8c\u65b0\u79fb\u6c11\u7684\u5305\u5bb9\u4e4b\u7fa9\u3001\u683d\u57f9\u4e4b\u6069\u8207\u64c1\u62b1\u4e4b\u60c5 I thought this was sort of weird. Yes, he is a mainlander, but it seems odd to bring it up,1<\/a><\/sup> unless he is trying to tie himself more firmly to China. If he pisses off the aborigines that might create trouble. If he goes so far as to piss off the non-mainlanders (whom I guess I would define as people who speak Tai-yu first) he could have real trouble.2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n He clearly -is- trying to butter up ‘China’, although it is not clear how much this will involve throwing ‘Taiwan’ under the bus. Maybe a lot. \u201cIn resolving cross-strait issues, what matters is not sovereignty but core values and way of life\u201d This is actually pretty scary, in that the Taiwan government seems to be at least downplaying and perhaps abandoning entirely the ROC’s claims to sovereignty, and looking to a common ‘Confucian’ culture. At least for Ma Taiwan seems much more part of Greater China than it was before. <\/span><\/p>\n even though he does say he was an immigrant, thus sort of implying that Taiwan is not the same as China. Maybe this is an olive branch to the less China-y types out there ↩<\/a><\/p><\/li>