Many in Taiwan believe that Hu Jintao is much more sophisticated than his predecessors in understanding Taiwan. He represents a different generation of leaders, more pragmatic, less ideological.

Be honest. Be honest with yourself, be honest with, you know, your fellow politicians. This is a rare quality of politicians.

People like to see honest persons. So I certainly will advise many young people who want to participate in politics, honesty is the best policy.

With Taiwan, it took about 40 years to go from an authoritarian to a democratic society.

I require every Taipei student to swim; if they can’t pass the test they won’t graduate. Why do I do that? Because I think that is very, very important integral part of their education.

I am Taiwanese as well as Chinese.

It’s very important for Taiwan to maintain its international contact.