Mainland's clout a worry for islanders

TAICHUNG, Taiwan: Many islanders, even those who favor closer ties, seem to be uneasy at the mainland's 'Big Brother' status in the cross-Straits relationship.

"The mainland is so big and Taiwan is so small," said a shuttle bus driver, whose forebears are from the southeastern province of Fujian on the mainland. "They are brothers, but we hope the big one does not bully the little one."

This kind of reasoning was also evident among the Taiwan negotiators during the ongoing fourth round of cross-Straits talks, which started on Monday.