When Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists were driven out of China, they adopted interventionist economic policies in Taiwan and nationalized dozens of major businesses-such as the Bank of Taiwan, still one of the island's biggest banks.

FORBES: The ghost of Chiang Kai-shek

In general the bigger the institution, the more likely there is to be support, especially when the government has a direct stake (as in the Bank of Taiwan and the Industrial Bank of Korea).

ECONOMIST: Governments in Asia are too ready to bail out big banks

But it was also not surprising that the chairman of Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Taiwan's third-largest private institution, was abroad.

CNN: TYCOONS

The Netherlands' ABN Amro bought Bank of America's retail operations in India, Singapore and Taiwan, expanded in Indonesia and acquired Bangkok-based Bank of Asia.

CNN: PLUS

Just 14 Chinese banks can invest in Taiwan, of which Agricultural Bank of China Ltd.

WSJ: ICBC's Stake in SinoPac Won't Open Taiwan Spigot

Testimony is expected to show that some of the money came from the cult's bank account in Taiwan.

CNN: Trie In The Spotlight

Taiwan's central bank has been considering lending to the central banks of Indonesia and Thailand.

ECONOMIST: Taiwan launches a lifeboat

ABN-Amro, Banque Nationale de Paris, Bank of America, Citibank, and American Express that dominate trading in the New Taiwan dollar, and especially in currency derivatives.

ECONOMIST: Wrong lessons in Taiwan

While the transaction has raised some hopes of more deals, not all Chinese banks are eligible to buy into a Taiwan bank.

WSJ: ICBC's Stake in SinoPac Won't Open Taiwan Spigot