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PFP Legislator Kao Ming-chien was recommended by China and held an invitation issued in the name of China to participate in the World Health Organization's (WHO) SARS conference in Kuala Lumpur. This created a stir in Kuala Lumpur and it has also caused a stand-off between the ruling and opposition parties back here, with supporters of both camps taking to the streets. The Kao incident is a typical unification-independence conflict. The argument concerns the point of view that Taiwan is not a part of China, not now, not ever.

China is a problem for Taiwan both internationally and domestically. It is putting pressure on Taipei internationally. Taiwan joined the WTO not only due to trade needs, but also to gain visibility in international organizations. China put pressure on the WTO secretariat in an attempt at changing the name and status under which Taiwan could join the organization, something which Taipei firmly refused. Taiwan has made seven attempts to gain WHO observer status, both to give its people the medical treatment they deserve and to carve out some international living space.

Both sides of the Taiwan Strait have expended huge resources on winning diplomatic allies. Even though Taipei never will get more diplomatic allies than China, it is important for it to maintain a minimum number. Each time Taiwan's president visits a diplomatic ally, China does its best to stop him from crossing the borders of non-diplomatic allies, while Taipei does its utmost to break through China's defense lines. Taipei's purchases of defensive weapons is a necessary effort to avoid being militarily annexed by China. As soon as Beijing hears about a new purchase, it applies all the pressure it can. Taipei's efforts to avail itself of every opportunity are meant to send an important message to the international community -- Taiwan is a sovereign and independent state.

The PRC has ruled the Chinese mainland since 1949, while the Republic of China (ROC) has ruled Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. The ROC was founded in 1911, long before the PRC was born in 1949, and the ROC government has all along maintained effective rule over Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. For more than half a century, the people on either side of the Taiwan Strait have never paid any taxes or fulfilled any civic duties to the government on the opposite side. The two sides are mutually independent and sovereign states.

The concept that "one China means the PRC" that Beijing is trying to push on the international community is concerned only with power. The international confusion between PRC and ROC passports affects the right to travel of the Taiwanese. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' announcement that it will add "Taiwan" to the cover of ROC passports is meant to further differentiate the two.

The Kao incident only serves to awaken the people's awareness of this nation's sovereignty and identification with Taiwan. It will not tolerate being confused with China. Even though politicians trying to benefit by pandering to both sides of the strait may be temporarily successful, clever talk about "one China" will only result in being abandoned by the people once their awareness of Taiwanese sovereignty is awakened.

KMT legislators Lee Chia-chin, left, Lee Chuan-chiao, center back, and Liao Feng-teh, right, hold a press conference yesterday to show their support for PFP Legislator Kao Ming-chien's protest against Beijing's delegation at a WHO meeting this week.

Fortunately, PFP Legislator Kao Ming-chien did not make a speech at this week's SARS conference in Kuala Lumpur. Otherwise, international disputes would have followed.

Kao is a doctor at National Taiwan University Hospital and a PFP legislator-at-large. At the SARS conference, he might as well have been considered China's representative because he was one of the people on Beijing's list of recommended participants. The way Kao participated in the World Health Organization (WHO) forum has allowed all of us to sense the true meaning of PFP Chairman James Soong's promise that Taiwan will join the WHO within two years if he gets elected next year.

All the problems will go away if Taiwan agrees to become a province of China. We have been enlightened on this issue, thanks to the PFP's reminder. Why couldn't the government and the Department of Health think of such an easy way instead of taking such great pains to fight to the bitter end? The Kao model embodies capitulation, or the PFP's cross-strait policy under the "one-China roof." There would not be any problems if only we would capitulate to China.

Kao's participation in the conference has become the focus of attention because he was not a member of Taiwan's delegation. The official delegation consisted of Center for Disease Control Director Su Ih-jen, Academia Sinica researcher Ho Mei-hsiang and Chang Shang-chwen and Chen Pei-jer, both doctors at National Taiwan University Hospital.

Next, Beijing said all of Taiwan's invitations were forwarded by China. Beijing did forward the invitations, but Taiwan refused to accept them and protested to the WHO. The WHO then sent separate invitations by e-mail to Taiwan's four delegates. This is why Kao's invitation and name tag differed from Su's. This difference is where a country's dignity and strength of character lie.

We don't know if the PFP just does not know the real story or is trying to obscure the facts, but the PFP took the copies of the invitations rejected by the Department of Health to argue that these invitations are the same as Kao's. This is a clear attempt to shift the focus of blame off Kao.

Political figures should be able to make sound judgements. China must have notified Kao before making a recommendation to the WHO and Kao must have agreed to Beijing's recommendation. This was Kao's first mistake. When government officials and the delegation protested the name problem to the WHO, Kao made a second mistake because he tacitly acknowledged his status as China's representative. Then when there was an uproar back home over his participation, Kao not only failed to admit his mistakes but also attempted to blame the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Security Council. Such political mistakes are almost intolerable.

The fact that Kao represented China suggests that the PFP acknowledges Kao as the regional representative of China's Taiwan Province. Kao's trip is the PFP's China policy put into practice. Perhaps Soong still has illusions about the Republic of China governing all of China in 1947 and thought that Kao therefore could represent China at large.

In politics Kao is like a frog, an amphibian which thinks it can gain advantage from both sides but in the end gets exactly the opposite. Terrestrial animals do not see frogs as terrestrial animals and aquatic creatures do not see frogs as one of them. This nation did not acknowledge Kao as its representative and Beijing is unable to let Kao speak on behalf of China. Even the PFP said Kao did not represent it.

Kao may have thought that he could do whatever he wanted on either side of the Taiwan Strait, but he was wrong.