| Abstract | Like everywhere in the world, the death of Deng Xiaoping made front page news in virtually all the Taiwanese dailies beginning on the very next day. In the same way, the radio and television stations gave broad coverage to the event, devoting a good part of their news broadcasts to the demise of the old Chinese dictator. For a few moments, one might have thought that Taiwanese was close to the mainland, ready to share in the grieving which affected its "compatriots" in the People's Republic. In reality, whereas the Taiwanese society received the news with a mixture of indifference, hope and anxiety, the authorities in Taipei made use of the occasion to send Peking a message with an overall sweet and sour flavour. Nonetheless, these reactions were not to disrupt the process of the progressive and discreet resumption of contacts between the two governments. |
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