Hille of beans

Kathrin Hille is back with a new hit piece for the Financial Times:

As night fell yesterday, tens of thousands of protesters holding glowing sticks began circling the presidential office and residence to demand the resignation of Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's president, over corruption allegations.

Although observers agree the "siege" is unlikely to force Mr Chen out, the protests and an embezzlement probe are once again paralysing the government and delaying economic reforms. Moreover, drastic moves from a president fighting for political survival could disturb ties with rival China and unsettle the US.

Actually, reforms are being delayed by the intransigent Blue legislature that refuses to work with the President. The protests are delaying nothing. Note that once again she warns about the bogeyman Mad Chen ("drastic moves" that might upset China). That is strictly a theme of anti-Chen forces. It is absurd to imagine that Chen can do anything when he has no support from the legislature. She then follows a strict Blue line again:

Two months ago, the cabinet planned to replace a cap on Taiwanese investments in China with a more flexible control mechanism, a step that would have removed one of the biggest psychological obstacles to Taiwan's economic growth.

It is pure Blue propaganda to say that the controls on China investment are a limit on Taiwan's growth. She could have simply said "remove what many claim are...." and not made a personal judgment. In fact many people support the controls and do not see them as an obstacle to growth. Financial Times readers are being poorly served by the one-sided, judgmental Ms. Hille.

[Taiwan]