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03/16/2006
China / Taiwan Update
[Hott Spotts returns 3/30]
The war of words between Taiwan and China continues. It was
back on Feb. 27 that Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian issued a
statement that the island’s largely symbolic National Unification
Council had “ceased to function.” Established in 1990 by the
then-ruling Nationalists as a display of moderation in thinking
one day Taiwan would be reunited with the mainland, since Chen
came into power in 2000 the NUC had been idle.
But China immediately got all riled up over Chen’s move and
this week the dialogue heated up through both an interview Chen
gave to the Washington Post as well as the comments across the
Strait by the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
and Premier Wen Jiabao’s remarks at the National People’s
Congress.
First, President Chen’s comments to the Washington Post’s
Edward Cody and Anthony Faiola.
“Today is March 13. Exactly ten years ago today, the second
missile of the Taiwan Strait missile crisis landed off the coast of
Kaohsiung. The first missile was fired on March 8, and the
second, five days later .The nearest missile landed about 55 km
from Taiwan. [ed. At the time Taiwan was holding its first-ever
direct election of its national leader.] While Taiwan was
engaged in promoting, deepening, and consolidating democracy,
China was using military force to intimidate Taiwan. This was
unbelievable .Fortunately, the U.S. government, under the
leadership of President Clinton, sent two aircraft carriers to the
region, successfully resolving the missile crisis .
“In reality, China is like an elephant. When an elephant walks
into a china shop, if it goes crazy, it may make a mess of, or even
destroy, the china, antiques, or other valuable things located
there. If China is an elephant, then Taiwan, being so small, is
like a rabbit. Taiwan is a very timid rabbit. When China the
elephant tramples upon Taiwan the rabbit, people throughout the
world demand that Taiwan the rabbit not make a sound, that it
not even yelp in pain, but that it silently endure being trampled
upon. Everyone is afraid that China the elephant may go crazy,
but they can only think of asking Taiwan the rabbit not to
struggle. The more the rabbit struggles, the crazier the elephant
becomes .we urge the international community to incorporate
China the elephant into civilized society. The international
community should work to make China accept the universal
values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and peace. Cross-
strait differences should be resolved peacefully through
dialogue.
“It is regrettable that over the last ten years, China has continued
to increase its military threat and refuse to engage in dialogue
with the government of Taiwan and even ignore its existence .
“Of course, we understand the United States has repeatedly
expressed the hope that there should not be any change to the
status quo in the Taiwan Strait, nor should there be any
unilateral change to the status quo. This is not just in Taiwan’s
interest, but also that of the United States .
“It is very clear to both Taiwan and the United States, therefore,
that so-called maintenance of the status quo is, of course,
maintenance of Taiwan’s democracy, freedom, and human
rights, as well as the maintenance of the status quo of peace and
stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
[On the political climate, while Chen seems bent on pursuing his
dream of formal independence, he readily concedes the
opposition Nationalist Party has the votes to defeat any initiatives
on this front. Plus any change to the island’s constitution must
be approved by a 3/4s majority in the legislature and then
endorsed by a majority of eligible voters in a referendum.]
“Various opinion polls have shown that the majority of Taiwan’s
people, more than 80 percent, even as high as 85 percent, believe
that the future of Taiwan should be chosen and decided by the
people of Taiwan according to their free will. The main reason
why we decided that the National Unification Council should
cease to function and the Guidelines for National Unification
should cease to apply is to return the right of freedom to decide
their own future to the people of Taiwan.
“Moreover, Taiwan’s people have never demanded that the
government treat cross-strait unification as the ultimate objective
of the country .If the international community applauds
Taiwan’s democratic development, then it should respect the
freedom of Taiwan’s 23 million people to choose and their
resulting choice. The great majority, more than 80 percent, of
Taiwan’s people clearly expect, hope, and are pushing for
Taiwan’s admittance to the World Health Organization and the
United Nations .
“Take East and West Germany, for example. Before unification,
both were represented in the United Nations. That fact, however,
did not affect the subsequent unification of Germany. By the
same token, North and South Korea are both members of the
United Nations, but this does not affect their desire to be
eventually unified. China’s approach to Taiwan’s foreign policy
has been composed of trying to uproot, block, and squeeze
Taiwan. Taiwan has been excluded from the United Nations and
the World Health Assembly due to this, to our deep regret. Any
native can choose not to establish formal diplomatic ties with
Taiwan, but no country can deprive Taiwan’s 23 million people
of their basic rights and free will to participate in international
society.”
Makes sense to me. China responded in a resolution from the
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
“Taiwanese authorities have accelerated steps towards Taiwan
independence since the start of this year, in overt defiance of the
strong opposition of compatriots on both sides of the strait.”
Chen’s decision to scrap the National Unification Guidelines was
a dangerous step towards independence. “We shall unite all
descendants of the Chinese nation who love the motherland to
resolutely oppose and check ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist
forces and their activities.”
The People’s Conference at least stressed it would adhere to the
principle of peaceful reunification.
Then on Tuesday, March 14, Chinese Premier Wen Jaibao
addressed the National People’s Congress (NPC).
From the Chinese government’s web site, gov.cn.
“We will never give up our efforts for peaceful reunification, we
will never sway in opposing ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist
activities, and never allow anyone to secede Taiwan from the
motherland,” the premier said.
It is an overt defiance to the one-China principle for the Taiwan
authorities to decide the cease of function of the “National
Unification Council” and the cease of the application of the
council’s guidelines on unifying with the mainland, said Wen
while answering a question by a reporter from Taiwan.
As an ancient Chinese saying goes, the leader of Taiwan
authorities will “find little support” for his unjust cause, and his
move was a hazardous, dangerous and deceitful step, Wen said.
“(Chen) ran counter to the trends of peace, stability and mutual
benefit between Taiwan and the mainland, and also went against
the wishes of the whole of the Chinese people including Taiwan
compatriots,” Wen said.
“(But) no matter what party affiliations they may have, no matter
who they are, what they said or did in the past, so long as they
are committed to the one-China principle, we are ready to have
dialogues and negotiations with them, even including those
people from the Democratic Progressive Party (Chen’s) in
Taiwan.”
The mainland’s commitment to the one-China principle has been
consistent and explicit, said Wen, reiterating that there is only
one China in the world and both sides across the Taiwan Straits
belong to one and the same China.
“China’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity allows no
division,” Wen stressed.
The Chinese mainland is keeping close watch over the situation
in Taiwan and making preparations to cope with any possible
consequence of the change of situation, said Premier Wen.
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Hott Spotts returns March 30.
Brian Trumbore
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