KMT, for its part still smarting from its electoral loss has been rumoured to be selling its own shareholdings, in part to score political points against the government.

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In 2005 the then-KMT chairman, Lien Chan, saw Mr Hu when the party was in opposition at that point, the highest-level contact between the two parties since 1949.

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KMT and Mr Ma in particular profited from their demise.

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But the CIA money from the secret missions made it possible for the fledgling airline to expand it bought more second-hand planes to supplement the amphibious aircraft turned over to it by the KMT.

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KMT, which was still jailing and sometimes murdering its opponents only 20 years ago, and whose money-driven political machine has already been almost crippled by losing access to government coffers, this is a matter of life and death.

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The DPP has no experience governing at a Taiwan-wide level many DPP cabinet members now heading ministries have only a city or county background at best and it still faces a KMT-dominated legislature unlikely to prove cooperative.

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