Taiwan’s president Ma Ying-jeou expressed his frustration today after an unusually public test firing of 19 surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles became a national embarrassment.

The historic meeting between China’s President Hu Jintao and Taiwan’s opposition leader Lien Chan dominated the front pages of regional newspapers today, with most publications praising the move as a step toward peaceful reconciliation between the two sides.

MELODY LEE carries a digital thermometer and two spare face masks in her Gucci bag as she goes about her business in Taiwan.