Taiwan
October 9 2000
People in Taiwan called it "the change of the sky", the end of more than half a century of rule over the island by the Nationalist party and the start of a new political era under the stewardship of one-time dissident Chen Shui-bian.

The March presidential election victory for Mr Chen and his Democratic Progressive party was hailed by many Taiwanese as setting the seal on their boisterous new democracy, but the result of the poll will also be felt far beyond the shores of the island.

Overview - Democratic credentials burnished
- Gulf between old and news dampens prospects
- The island waits for its giant rival
- An unstable stand-off
Politics - Power transfer incomplete
- An uneasy calm hangs over the Taiwan Strait
Business - Beating swords into ploughshares
- The 'Brick Wall' crumbles further
- Signs of an emerging leisure class