Dear Mr. Vice President Richard B. Cheney,

Taiwan's leading media and pro-unification politicians have created the myth of a "greater China market," the media's over exaggeration of the greater Chinese market has already caused an excessive resources across the strait.

Obviously; Taiwanese people were lost their confidence by long time of Beijing's threat that minority of Taiwan mainlanders have found its way for new condition.

Over the last six months, China's State Security Ministry has started detaining US citizens born in China and questioning them about their affairs in China in what diplomats believe is a worrisome change in government policy.

It is the first time since the Korean War that US citizens have been held by China's State Security apparatus, diplomats and China scholars said.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard blasted last week on April 29, 2001, for "meddling" in China's affairs, tried to patch up differences with Beijing after it emerged a Chinese warship had challenged an Australian naval flotilla for "intruding."

Three Australian warships were asked to leave the Taiwan Strait by the Chinese captain, who accused the Australians of breaching China's 12-nautical mile (22.2km) territorial zone.

But the Australian flotilla, steaming from Pusan in South Korea to Hong Kong, refused to change direction and continued through the Strait.

The incident occurred just days after a Chinese fighter jet collided with a US spy plane on April 1, sparking a standoff over the fate of the American crew who were detained after making an emergency landing on Hainan island.

Immediately after that collision, China launched a propaganda campaign against foreign military activity within its 320km "economic exclusion zone." Nations have wide-ranging economic rights over the marine resources in such zones, but they are not sovereign territory.

The Taiwan Strait is an international waterway and China has no reason to complain about any country's naval vessels passing through it, an ex-US Pentagon official said.

"It is vitally important that the Taiwan Strait remains an international waterway. Further, it is of vital importance that the US navy importance that the US navy increases the number of its patrols in the Strait and ignores Beijing's complaint in this regard because the Strait is [part of] international waters as are the territories in the South China Sea," said Chuch DeVore, who served in the Pentagon during the administration of former US president Ronald Reagan.

"It is very important for Taiwan's security and the security of democracies in the Pacific Rim that the Taiwan Strait remains clearly in international waters," DeVore said.

DeVore made the remarks on May 16, 2001 at a panel discussion in Taipei on security in the Strait. The discussion focused on possible scenarios for a Chinese attack on Taiwan that are featured in a new book, China Attacks, which is co-authored by DeVore and Steven Mosher, DeVore is in Taiwan to promote the recently-published Chinese translation of the book.

In our view viewpoints, over totalitarian thugs are like those in Beijing.

Perhaps nothing much can be achieved until democratization makes some inroads in China but there has been little movement in this direction these eight years. Beijing's list of recent accomplishments include the crackdown on the Falun Gong, arrest of many practicing Roman Catholics, and detention of scholars visiting China from the US, among others.

It is fashionable to suggest that economic growth will bring this about; this is the altruistic reasoning behind the West's fostering of China's trade -- the non-altruistic version being the old China market myth, still making suckers out of the West after 200 years. Even if prosperity does lead to democracy -- and this is a fashionable political theory, remember, not a natural law -- conventional wisdom also suggests that the takeoff point for this transformation occurs when a country reaches an annual per capita income level of about US$7,000-8,000. At China's rate of current growth, this is still about 25 years away. Waiting for China to see sense and adopt a more tenable policy could be further away than almost anybody is prepared to admit.

For a long time, Taiwanese people concealed their identity of statehood by threatening from Beijing's hegemony over international pressure.

On the other hand, the United States cannot support democratic Taiwan in public until U.S. President George W. Bush's tough statement.

Despite the DPP administration should exercise extreme prudence in handling cross-strait relations as Beijing has been closely watching whether the DPP will take any concrete steps to promote its pro-independence platform since the party won the presidency almost a year ago.

The DPP government should carry out the "statehood concept"-tainted policy under the table, but should put it before the public for extensive discussions within the ranks of the government with Beijing?

May 14, 2001 ---  
Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen Sunday stated that there have been significant changes, both qualitative and quantitative, in exchanges between Taiwan and mainland China, and the two sides have now arrived at a crucial moment for adjusting cross-strait relations.

The government on the one hand wants to actively expand cross-strait exchanges, Tsai said, while at the same time building a risk-management mechanism which she called a "national security net." This would be implemented in stages, with the aim of allowing private-sector resources and vitality the greatest possible room for expression, under the precondition of maintaining the nation's basic security, she said.

As for permitting mainland tourists to visit Taiwan, Tsai said that planning for related measures will be complete by the end of June, but because this measure is much more complicated than the "mini links" (direct trade, transportation and communications ties between the PRC's Fujian province and the ROC-controlled outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu), it can only be implemented after a related series of measures is completed; otherwise, it will create many problems.

The government will adopt a policy of "managed" openness, and it also hopes that mainland China will implement some form of filtering for its people visiting Taiwan as tourists, Tsai remarked.

In regard to the "three links" (direct ties between mainland China and all of Taiwan), the MAC chief stressed that the government will implement full links in accordance with objective conditions and in a graduated fashion while ensuring national security.

The first stage will be efforts to adjust current regulations in response to the opening of cross-strait commercial ties as part of the agenda for acceding to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The second phase will be the effective construction of related economic security mechanisms, and other needed alterations to existing mechanisms, producing an integrated plan for further direct bilateral exchanges of goods, capital and human resources, and the implementation of direct transport ties across the Taiwan Strait, put into practical effect through cross-strait negotiations.

Tsai stated that the form, channels and levels of bilateral exchanges have been constantly expanding and rising. As of the end of November 2000, Taiwan residents had made a total of 17 million visits to mainland China, while mainland Chinese had visited Taiwan 550,000 times. There have been more than 80,000 cross-strait marriages, she noted.

According to an estimate issued by the ROC's Central Bank of China, Taiwanese businesspeople have invested between US$50 billion and US$60 billion in the mainland. Having begun in quantitative changes, cross-strait relations are now changing qualitatively as well, but procedures governing exchanges are not yet ideal, and this has caused more than a few problems, Tsai said.

The MAC chairwoman also observed that qualitative changes in cross-strait exchanges have decreased the possibility of military conflict, but have increased the likelihood of systemic conflict. The government must now play two separate roles in cross-strait exchanges. On the one hand, it has the responsibility to create an advantageous environment for the Taiwanese public, and allow private-sector resources and vitality to perform their function to the greatest potential degree. On the other hand, the government must also maintain the basic security of the nation, and eliminate risks.

She said that the "national security net" concept proposed by the administration is hoped to serve as a starting point for positive interaction, promoting a cross-strait exchange framework with Taiwan as the focal point, strengthening Taiwan's own foundations and confidence, and decreasing the risks and misgivings involved in opening up cross-strait exchanges.

The "national security net" will be a set of effective security management mechanisms. Its structure will be designed from such perspectives as the nation's overall future development, cross-strait interaction and national security, Tsai said.

However; Taiwan needs your help.

                                                                Yours Sincerely,