Taiwanese politics have been quite contentious ever since the Nationalists (aka Kuomintang or KMT) lost its monopoly on power in the 1990s. But Nationalist Party chief Lien Chan's visit to the mainland and discussions with Chicomm President Hu Jintao brings new meaning to the term pandering.
Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) base their strength on native Taiwanese patriotism and his party's efforts to move Taiwan towards independence has infuriated Beijing and alienated Nationalists who see themselves more as Chinese and not specifically Taiwanese.
The last two presidential elections have been very tight; and President Chen's victory last year was wafer thin and some have accused him of orchestrating an assassination attempt on himself to curry sympathy immediately before the vote. There is no love lost between the KMT and the DPP but it is a disgrace for the head of the KMT - whose leader, Chiang Kai-Shek and many of his followers - were ejected from the mainland by the victorious Communists in 1949. Politics is one thing but to make nice with one's mortal enemies is another thing entirely.
Oh, and the Chicomms offered two pandas as a gesture of goodwill in what appears to be a charm offensive hoping to weaken President Chen.
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