PALO ALTO, Calif. -- What is going on across the Taiwan Strait and within Taiwan becomes more of a puzzle with each passing day.
In spite of the cost to travel to China through Hong Kong, Taiwanese business people and professionals are pouring into China to get rich. More and more human and capital wealth is relocating to the mainland. Meanwhile, more Chinese tourists and business people are traveling to Taiwan to take advantage of the island's opportunities.
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and his administration are promoting a "silent revolution" to remove every symbol of Chinese influence on the island and to encourage Taiwan citizens to discover their native roots and realize that they are Taiwanese and not Chinese. By fostering this new belief system, Chen and his recently reshuffled Cabinet of party loyalists hope to establish the solid foundations for a new Taiwan nation outside the orbit of China and as a member of the international community.