Dear Mr. Tung Chee-hwa,

Mainland China and Taiwan once formed a single land mass, while the earliest human inhabitants of Taiwan originated from the mainland.

"At the height of the last ice age, the sea level fell drastically and ... most of the Taiwan Strait became land, joining Taiwan island and the Chinese mainland," the Xinhua news agency quoted Chinese archaeologist Cao Baoquan as saying.

"Human beings and animals could freely walk to and fro," according to Cao, a fossil specialist in southeast Fujian province, which lies directly across the strait from Taiwan.

Cao based his conclusion on fossils recently discovered off the coast of Fujian that he believes originated in Taiwan some 11,000 to 26,000 years ago.

"He believes that prehistoric man lived in the valley between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan island because of this land-for-sea change some 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, and they were the early human beings who migrated to Taiwan from the Chinese mainland," the Xinhua report said.

It added that there was "no fossil or cultural relic evidence" to support the theory of Taiwan civilization's independent origin, while "most" scholars believed "the culture of Taiwan originated from the mainland."

ROC-PRC linked by brotherhood

Political confrontation has strained relations between the two governments on either side of the Taiwan Strait, but under the surface, an awakened brotherhood has bridged the gap between the people of each side.

Compassion for each other has arisen since the late '70s, when the sweet and tender voice of the late popular Taiwan singer Teresa Teng penetrated the bamboo curtain and soothed thousands of mainland Chinese souls. Renewed contact and curiosity gave both sides opportunities for reconciliation.

The late '70s also became a turning point in Beijing's 50-year history when the reform-minded communist leader Deng Xiaoping allowed some openness toward the outside world.

In the '80s, Chinese people on the mainland were able to hear some undistorted stories about Taiwan. In 1987 when Taiwan permitted its people to visit relatives on the mainland, and mainlanders were allowed to come to the island for the same reason, direct contact between people first became possible. A long-forgotten brotherhood was reawakened.

Over the past 10 years, both Taipei and Beijing have gradually relaxed controls on visits between Taiwan and the mainland. Such visits have become more and more frequent.

The rekindled brotherhood could be witnessed with numerous academic and cultural exchanges and extensive economic activities by Taiwan businesses in mainland China.

Nevertheless, a waning of such sentiment among the people of Taiwan could be sensed during the past two years. A mainland official even complained to a Central News Agency (CNA) reporter about Taiwan people's indifference when Beijing's embassy in Belgrade was bombed by NATO.

Between 1987 and 1998, people from Taiwan made a total of 19.5 million visits to mainland China, and invested over $10 billions U.S. dollar. Most travel consisted of brief visits to relatives or sight-seeing tours. Few chose to settle there, not even those retired servicemen who withdrew to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek's troops, leaving their families behind in 1949 when the Chinese communists took over the mainland.

Nearly 214,000 mainlanders visited Taiwan between 1987 and 1997. Through the end of last August, a total of 29,258 mainlanders had been allowed by Taipei to resettle in Taiwan, and some 10,000 mainland women had married Taiwanese men.

Stowaways from the mainland have been a big headache for Taipei authorities. More then 35,000 were caught between 1987 and 1997, and authorities estimate that there are now some 1,400 in hiding across the island.

Polls conducted in the past few months indicate that indeed the people of Taiwan are drifting away from the aspiration of unification.

In 1992 when northern China suffered from massive flooding, people in Taiwan responded immediately by sending handsome relief resources. The 1998 Yangize flood did not give rise to comparable compassion "because the Taiwan people's feelings were hurt by Beijing's arrogance and its untiring battering of Taiwan," said the CNA reporter.

She added that when people in Taiwan extend a helping hand to their compatriots on the mainland, they do no mix the gracious compassion arising out of brotherhood with politics.

Reported from Beijing that has expressed regret at the U.S. Senate's rejection of the treaty two weeks ago. We found Chinese mainland would be the key of stability's center in our world.

Despite the U.S. Senate's rejection of an international treaty banning nuclear testing, China will stick to the ban and ratify the pact, a senior Chinese arms control negotiator was quoted as saying yesterday.

"I believe that there is no question that we will ratify the treaty. It is only a matter of time," Sha Zukang, director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with the official China Daily.

Sha did not give any indication of when the National People's Congress would ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, or CTBT. But he noted that U.S. approval would "facilitate" ratification in China, the newspaper reported.

Beijing has expressed regret at the U.S. Senate's rejection of the treaty two weeks ago.

Sha accused the U.S. of sending dangerous signals that it will sign treaties but not ratify them or adopt domestic laws to circumvent international agreements.

"These two messages will have serious and negative influence on the future multinational disarmament negotiations," Sha was quoted as saying.

If Beijing stepped up its democracy, why not let Taiwan go with equal political position on talking with unification.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 ---
A department chief of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang said in Washington on Sunday that mainland China should give up its "one China, two systems" stance for the unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Instead, said Chang Jung-kang, the mainland and Taiwan should be allowed to pursue a favorable unification formula through a peaceful political race.

Chang, chairman of the KMT's Mainland Affairs Department, made the remarks during a speech at a Washington seminar on the comparison of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait over the past50 years.

The seminar was attended by some 150 scholars, students and representatives from the local Chinese community.

He said the experience of Taiwan's economic liberalization and political democratization could be used to stimulate the democratization of the mainland.

"Although the results of Taiwan's development are not perfect," he stated," they are precious, and should not be destroyed by mainland China."

Regarding the future development of cross-strait relations, Chang said the two sides should engage in dialogue on an equal footing, maintain peace across the trait, and promote mutual economic benefit through positive political interaction.