Taiwan micro-blogger hopes to improve communication

The first Taiwan legislator from the Democratic Progressive Party to open a micro blog on the mainland said he hopes his postings will help foster communication with people on the mainland.

Tsai Chi-chang, a member of the "legislative yuan", Taiwan's legislature, opened an account on Sina Weibo, the most popular micro-blogging service on the mainland, in late November.

"The reason I started a micro blog on the mainland was very simple: I'm used to going to the Internet to communicate with people in Taiwan," Tsai told a newspaper in Fujian province. "And it's similar for people on the mainland. I want to chat with people with the help of the Internet."

Tsai's decision has attracted widespread attention because it is the first time a Taiwan lawmaker who is a member of the DPP - the current opposition party on the island - has opened a micro blog on the mainland.

"Please listen to different voices," Tsai wrote in his first post on his Sina Weibo on Nov 24. "Please listen to voices from Taiwan."

Asked about the possibility of mainland authorities opening a micro blog on Taiwan, a mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday that is a step worth considering.

"That sounds like a good suggestion, like something we'll look at," Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said during a news conference.

Tsai's postings have been forwarded many times, eliciting numerous responses from mainland micro-bloggers.

"Communication and exchange will deepen mutual understanding across the Straits," Xinlumanbu2010, a micro-blogger from the mainland's Henan province, wrote in a comment.

"Your micro blog will help us come closer to each other and listen to each other's voices without much separating us. That's really good."

Tsai, 43, a native of the city of Taichung in Taiwan, was elected as a legislator in January.

"Before I opened the account on Sina Weibo, some of my friends asked: 'Are you ready to be blasted (by mainland netizens) when they learn you are from the DPP?', Now, after a week, I've found most mainland netizens are pretty rational," Tsai wrote in a Dec 1 post.

"Although we may look at things in different ways and move pretty quickly to defend ourselves, we also respect each other."

By late Wednesday, Tsai's micro blog had attracted more than 24,700 followers.

He said he was once worried that his posts would be filtered but no longer has such concerns.

Tsai noted he has received a lot of questions from mainland followers who appear to have diverse perspectives and a rich knowledge of the world.