ABSTRACT

In the heat of summer 2004, the PLA was holding a large-scale military exercise in the Taiwan Strait. The US and Singapore were clearly so alarmed that they were frantically seeking to reduce the tension. But the complacent Chen administration seemed to be brushing aside all warning signals and was more determined than ever to carry their electoral victory toward the goal of de jure Taiwan independence. In a short time span, all party and government elites joined in to give Taiwan independence a big push.