Sixty five years after Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) chairman Chiang Kai Shek came to India in 1942, his political inheritor Ma Ying-jeou—KMT’s presidential candidate in 2008 polls in Taiwan— is here on a two-day visit. His prescription for the India-Taiwan relationship is clear: he is interested only in “bilateral”and not trilateral relations— through China—with India.

In a first visit by a Taiwan leader to India after 60 years—the last visit took place in 1947—Ma said, “We are old friends. I want a new beginning.” His statement assumes significance as he delinked India-Taiwan relations from the shadow of China.

However, the Harvard-educated Ma added: “I want Taiwan to be a peace-maker and a responsible stakeholder, and not a troublemaker.”

He said he favoured a “policy of conciliation” towards Beijing and saw India as the role model: “A policy of reconciliation at home that will bring ‘unity in diversity’ as the most populous democracy in the world, India could well be our model in this regard.”

With India, the Taiwanese leader said he is looking towards cooperation in information and telecommunication industries, forging a new IT partnership, including IT industrial park in India or promoting participation in SEZs, jointly developing new IT products suitable for India, andjoint training in R&D.

His aides confirmed that Ma met Manufacturers Association for IT today and will be meeting NASSCOM officials tomorrow, since Taiwan is the global leader in personal computers and LCDs. About his political engagements, Ma said, “We are not supposed to reveal all our meetings.”

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