An American Reporter Looks Back on His Time Covering Taiwan

choi

Dan Southerland, Lessons from Taiwan: A Reporter Looks Back. RFA, May 24, 2016.
http://www.rfa.org/english/comme ... 05242016172332.html

Quote:

"after I returned to Taiwan in 1985 and 1986 as a reporter for The Washington Post * * * In early October 1987, I accompanied Katherine Graham, the publisher of The Post, along with leading editors from the newspaper and from Newsweek on a visit to Taiwan. * * * In a meeting with Katherine Graham, President Chiang made it official by saying that martial law would be lifted, and I wrote a front-page story about it.  According to an authoritative account by author Jay Taylor, Chiang surprised his aides by telling his visitor that his government intended to 'propose' an end to martial law.  He also said that the government was studying the question of legalizing new political parties.

"During a recent visit to Taiwan I realized how distant many people in Taiwan have grown from mainland China, even if their grandparents had come from the mainland.

Note:
(a) The report is long, and does not appear to say much, from a Taiwanese (my) point of view. I am unsure whether you want to read it.
(b) "A bigger problem for China now is polls that show the growth of a 'Taiwanese identity. 台灣認同/台灣人認同' In one recent poll a solid majority of respondents regarded themselves as 'Taiwanese' rather than 'Chinese' or 'both Taiwanese and Chinese.' "

The more often used 台灣意識 is reportedly translated as Taiwan consciousness.