The mainland government intervened, however, forcing its contestants to withdraw.
Dealing with the communists' desire to control Taiwan raises the ire of the otherwise diplomatic mayor.
"It's just absurd," Ma said. "They're always doing that."
Even so, Ma urges Taiwan to "resist this kind of harassment," adding that reform will come as the Chinese watch Taiwan conduct free elections.
"The impact is indirect, but it's very real," Ma said.
Taiwan, commercially successful as a legitimate competitor to Silicon Valley, has not achieved equivalent political success globally; the U.S. and the United Nations deny its sovereignty.
But Ma, Harvard-educated and notoriously unnotorious, might still succeed in navigating the treacherous straits separating Taiwan and the mainland.
If his course is the right one, diplomacy, democracy, capitalism and culture will permeate the communist nation and stabilize the region. If he is wrong, Taiwan may yet replace his KMT approach with a more forceful approach to dealing with the communist giant--the implications of which could be drastic.