Taiwan's Ma lauds rival China's openness on Tiananmen anniversary

Taiwan's new leader used the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown to praise rival China on Wednesday, breaking with his previous policy of marking the date with condemnations of Beijing's human rights record.

"China has made certain progress since it started to open up and reform 30 years ago," President Ma Ying-jeou said in a statement.

His comments came amid improving relations between the sides, including the expected signing later this month of an accord on increased Chinese tourist traffic to Taiwan, and the opening of daily charter flights across the 100-mile- (160-kilometer-) wide Taiwan Strait.

In the past, Ma has been scathing on the Tiananmen issue, saying China's failure to offer a full accounting of why hundreds, if not thousands, of pro-democracy protesters were killed by Chinese troops on June 3-4, 1989, is a major impediment to improved relations between Taiwan and the mainland.

The crackdown followed weeks of demonstrations that involved tens of thousands of students and other democracy proponents. The protests started in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and spread to several major cities.

Last year on the Tiananmen anniversary, Ma criticized China for putting off democratization and continuing to suppress press freedom and human rights.

Still, Ma said Wednesday he remained concerned about the implications of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on the ability of "mainland compatriots (to) enjoy a life of freedom and democracy."

Ma _ who served as mayor of Taipei between 1998 and 2006 _ also lauded China's response to last month's devastating Sichuan earthquake, saying it shows "progress with (Beijing's) openness ... for allowing broad press coverage" of a disaster that has so far taken at least 70,000 Chinese lives.

He contrasted that response to the secrecy that China imposed on coverage of the Tangshan earthquake in 1976.

Ma took office on May 20, promising to turn the corner on the hard-line policies of outgoing President Chen Shui-bian, whose pro-independence line incensed Beijing and exasperated the United States, Taiwan's most important foreign partner.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. China continues to claim the island as part of its territory, and threatens war if it moves to make the break permanent.