Taiwan ? Taiwan’s High Court cleared opposition presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou of graft charges today, securing a place for the former Taipei mayor in the March presidential race.

With the court’s decision, the 57-year-old Ma is now free to press forward with his message of closer ties with rival China and an improved Taiwanese economy in the run-up to the presidential election.

He faces Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors full independence for Taiwan.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers the self-ruled island part of its territory and has threatened to go to war if Taiwan seeks to formalize its de facto independence.

A lower court originally exonerated Ma in August on charges of diverting $333,000 of public money into his private account while serving as mayor of Taipei between 1998 and 2006.

But prosecutors appealed that decision and added a new charge – breach of trust.