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Dec. 7,2000 --- To: Trent
Lott, Denny Hastert, George W. Bush |
Dear¡@Mr. Trent Lott, Surely, Philippine President Joseph Estrada, appearing in public on the eve of this impeachment trial, because of his behaviors is violating country¡¦s reputation. In Taiwan, a coalition of opposition parties launched a first-ever recall campaign against President Chen Shui-bian on account of his decision to scrap construction of a nuclear power plant. And in Indonesia, opposition legislators are threatening to begin impeachment proceedings against President Abdurrahman Wahid because of his erratic leadership style and alleged involvement in two major political scandals. In Taiwan, Chen¡¦s rumors came from ¡§nonsense¡¨ that members of the old government (KMT) which ran the country for 55 years. Many KMT¡¦s legislators continue to think of it as the ruling party even though it placed third in the election. The campaigns to remove Taiwan President Chen and Wahid also reflect a key challenge facing new democracies in Asia. People invest so much to see change in Asian democracies, whether it¡¦s through mass rallies or high voter participation, and then they have high expectation of the new government and its leaders. High public expectation of the government and president, despite lingering economic and political problems that are beyond quick fixes. As we have known that it took 200 years for the United States to develop its democracy, and in France it took even longer. We don¡¦t mean our democracy is weak, but people need more tolerance to let new government work on line. We also reminded that ¡§The three noes¡¨ policy could look down on Taiwanese people. We support President Chen¡¦s statement. Beijing always gives Taiwan questions and answers harshly. Dec. 6, 2000 ---
¡§I hope the U.S. will avoid mentioning the three noes policy in the future, or it should add a ¡¥fourth no¡¦, stating that it opposes the mainland using military force to resolve the Taiwan issue,¡¨ Chen said while meeting a U.S. delegation, consisting of several former senior U.S. officials. The so-called ¡§three noes¡¨ policy, spelled out by President Bill Clinton during his visit to mainland China in 1998, pledges that the U.S. government will not support Taiwan¡¦s independence, Taiwan¡¦s entrance to any international organization in which statehood is a requirement, or the ¡§one Taiwan, one China,¡¨ or ¡§two Chinas¡¨ schemes.
¡§I would like to reiterate that the new government has never changed its cross-strait policy, which is based on the key-note of my inauguration speech,¡¨ he said. The government will deal with a ¡§future one China¡¨ under the circumstance that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are on an equal and democratic position, Chen said. Meanwhile, the president told his foreign guests that he attaches great importance to suggestions recently presented by his advisory group on cross-strait relations.
But the mainland has flatly rejected the group¡¦s findings, which it said were full of ¡§nonsense.¡¨ 1992 consensus isn¡¦t a consensus for Beijing. Despite arrival of fortune or misfortune is unpredictable, that President Chen does his best for Taiwanese people. Nobody could bring disaster upon the state and the people. We need your help. Dec. 7, 2000 ---
When asked by the foreign guests about whether he had any time table in mind to resolve the Taiwan issue, or whether he recognized the so-called ¡§1992 consensus on ¡¥one China,¡¦ separate interpretations,¡¨ the president said it is the mainland who has refused to admit the existence of the consensus. But Chen said his administration would be willing to discuss with Beijing any proposals for resolving bilateral sovereignty disputes. Chen urged the U.S. government to reaffirm its commitment to abiding by the Taiwan Relations Act, the 1982 ¡§six guarantees¡¨ to Taiwan, and the 1994 Taiwan policy review. ¡§I hope that the American government can improve its unreasonable restrictions and treatment endured by senior ROC officials visiting or making stopovers in the United States,¡¨ he said. ¡§We also expect equal and parallel engagements with the United States and look forward to seeing the United States play the role of ¡¥balancer and stabilizer¡¦ in cross-strait relations and help promote peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region¡¨.
While some opposition lawmakers said his statements were acceptable because of his recognition of the ¡§one China¡¨ policy under certain conditions, others condemned his for making ¡§bold¡¨ remarks. Most of Chen¡¦s American guests are scholars of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, a Washington-based think tank. They included Winston Lord, former U.S. ambassador to mainland China; Kenneth Lieberthal, a former senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council; and Douglas Paal, president of the Washington-based Asia Pacific Policy Center. Why has Taiwan spent myriad of money buying sophisticated weapons, and simultaneously China also boosted its military spending? The answer is clearly showing the fact that Taiwan acted as first defense in Asia-Pacific region. If Taiwan was playing a key rule in U.S. defense in the Pacific Ocean, not only has developed a long profound friendly with United States but also accomplished astonishing progress in democracy and economics. On the contrary, United States should support Taiwan¡¦s security with firm and steadfast clarity.
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