Constructing a new political spectacle: tactics of Chen Shui-bian’s 2000 and 2004 Inaugural Speeches

This article explores how the Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian 1 uses political language rhetoric as a powerful tool to defuse dangerously tense relations with China, repair relations with the US government and gain public support in the country. I focus on Chen’s inaugural speeches delivered on 20 May 2000 2 and 2004 3 , which present the rationale for his new administration and his socio-political ideologies, and I review his political spectacle for Taiwan.