TAIPEI -- Taiwan's voters, weary after years of corruption scandals and tension with Beijing, swept Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang into the presidency in 2008.
Backers of the Harvard-educated Ma expected him to open the island up to Chinese investors and tourists. This has happened, but six years and a re-election later, the economy is stumbling and the public is growing apprehensive about the fruits of Ma's China policy and Beijing's intentions. The president's approval rating has sunk as low as that of Chen Shui-bian, Ma's Democratic Progressive Party predecessor, toward the end of his term.