TODAYonline

TODAYonline: " Taiwan's Vice President Annette Lu announced Tuesday her bid to run for president in the 2008 elections, promising to boost prosperity and improve ties with China. . Lu is the fourth heavyweight figure from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to join the race. . 'I will fight another election battle for Taiwan and endeavour to write a new page in history,' she said. . 'Taiwan needs a good anchor to face the severe challenges under the current special circumstances.' . Vice president since 2000, Lu said the country of 23 million people had to tackle a widening gap between rich and poor, capital outflows and the military threat from China, which regards the island as part of its territory. . 'I will do my best to enhance prosperity and improve the well-being of the people,' added Lu, 63, a former human rights advocate. . She urged peaceful cooperation and co-existence between Taipei and Beijing to promote what she called 'constructive engagement.' . 'The historical fued beween the nationalists and communists should come to an end. There should be no hatred between Taiwan and China. There should be no war,' said the former human rights advocate. . The independence-leaning DPP's other declared candidates so far are former premier Frank Hsieh, chairman Yu Shyi-kun and incumbent premier Su Tseng-chang. . The party accelerated its nomination process after opposition Kuomintang (KMT) leader Ma Ying-jeou unexpectedly announced he would run. He is the only KMT figure so far to declare. . Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the nationalist KMT was defeated by the communists on the mainland. . The KMT's 51-year grip on power in Taiwan ended in 2000 when the DPP's Chen Shui-bian won the presidential election. He and Lu were nar"