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Colin
Powellˇ¦s way for cross-strait on Oct 20, 2004
Colin
Powell could prod China to talk to Taiwan EAST
ASIA TRIP: The US secretary of state will visit Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing --
where he is expected to discuss concerns over US arms sales to Taipei
US
Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to tell China that the US sees President
Chen Shui-bian's Double Ten National Day offer of fresh cross-strait dialogue
"as an opportunity" for a resumption of talks, the State Department
said on Monday. Due
to visit Beijing next week, Powell also plans to talk about US arms sales to
Taiwan and respond to China's recent strident expressions of opposition to the
US$18.2 billion arms package that Washington is seeking to sell to Taipei,
spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters at his regular daily press briefing. Powell
will visit Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul from Saturday through Tuesday. He will
arrive in Beijing next Monday evening and leave the next day. Referring
to Chen's offer to resume talks on the basis of a 1992 meeting in Hong Kong,
Boucher called it "a chance to look at what we can all do to promote the
idea of dialogue across the Strait." The
Bush administration thought "there were elements in it that were
constructive, and we felt that there was an opportunity here to get back to a
cross-strait dialogue that should be looked at by all the parties." Boucher
said the US will encourage the Chinese "to see it that way and to look at
what they can do to get back to a cross-strait dialogue." Boucher's
comments mark the third time since Chen's speech that a department spokesman has
praised the speech and the offer to resume dialogue as "constructive,"
even after Beijing dismissed the offer as a sham. The
offer is consistent with Washington's new emphasis on promoting the resumption
of cross-strait talks since Chen's re-election, and especially since his
inauguration address in May. While
Powell confers with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on a regular basis by
telephone, this trip will mark the first time in more than 18 months that he has
traveled to Beijing for talks. Powell
is planning to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, although Boucher said the
time had not yet been confirmed. One purpose of that meeting will be to assess
China's new leadership structure in the wake of former president Jiang Zemin's
retirement as head of the military commission. During
his trip, Powell will also hold talks on North Korea and Iraq, and have a chance
to meet again with Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, whom he met in
Washington earlier this month. The questions of a US-Japanese effort to develop
a joint missile defense shield, and the shifting US military presence in East
Asia will also be discussed. Another
topic of discussion will be preparations for the APEC summit meeting in Chile
next month. When
asked whether Powell expected to accomplish anything with the trip, given the
nearness of the US presidential election, Boucher said that there was much to be
done despite the election. "There
are many things coming up in November, December, January, not to mention next
year, that we are going to be working with these countries on," he said.
Regional
neighbors laud Chen's peace overtures Japan,
Australia and Singapore have all responded positively to President Chen
Shui-bian's Oct. 10 Double Ten National Day address, saying Chen's peace
overtures are conducive to easing tension in the Taiwan Strait, a diplomatic
official said yesterday. "The
three Asian-Pacific countries have given a thumbs-up to President Chen's peace
appeals to China, saying that the initiatives could help ease cross-strait
tension and facilitate resumption of bilateral dialogue," Chen Shan-lin,
deputy director of the Asia-Pacific Affairs Department of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, told a news conference yesterday. Japan's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement immediately after Chen delivered
his speech, reaffirming Tokyo's commitment to maintaining friendly
non-governmental substantive relations with Taiwan and urging the two sides of
the Taiwan Strait to resolve their disputes through peaceful negotiations. The
Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a public statement
recognizing Chen's peace overtures. The statement also said that Singapore was
pleased to see him deliver an address that would contribute to the easing of
cross-strait tension. Meanwhile,
major Australian newspapers ran editorials recognizing Chen's call for the
establishment of a cross-strait military trust mechanism as helpful for lowering
cross-strait tensions. The Australian news media also encouraged the two sides
of the Taiwan Strait to end their hostility as early as possible. The
president proposed that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait use the basis of the
1992 meeting in Hong Kong to seek possible ways that are "not necessarily
perfect, but acceptable" in preparation for a step forward in the
resumption of long-stalled cross-strait dialogue and consultations. Referring
to himself by his nickname "A-bian", Chen Shui-bian said that, as any
conflict would cause irreparable damage to both sides, Taiwan and China should
seriously consider practical steps toward "arms control." "Therefore
A-bian proposes that both sides should seriously consider the issue of arms
control and take concrete actions to reduce tension and military threats across
the Taiwan Strait," he said.
Scrooge-like
KMT risks future After
the March presidential election the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) broke a
promise it made in 2000 and terminated a trust agreement in order to access
funds which had previously been frozen. It also signed a letter of intent to
sell the party-run Hua Hsia Investment Holding Co to the venture capital company
Sycamore Ventures. Most
people in Taiwan strongly object to the deal, which could be worth as much as
NT$1.7 billion (US$500 million) because a lot of the party's assets were
improperly acquired. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Taiwan
Solidarity Union (TSU) and many other organizations have repeatedly demanded
that the KMT wait to sell any assets until the legislature passes the bill
governing disposition of assets improperly obtained by political parties. They
have said that once such legislation is enacted, the KMT can process those
assets that were legally acquired while returning to the country those that were
improperly obtained. However,
over the past two years, the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) have
repeatedly blocked the bill from being listed on the legislative agenda. On
Monday, a TSU version of the bill was rejected again, without even a chance for
legislative debate. Obviously the KMT has no intention of returning its loot. The
KMT took over countless assets from the Japanese colonial government when it
took control of Taiwan. During its time in office, it expropriated or received
"donated" land from local governments, turning these plots into its
"public service centers" in almost every township in the country. The
KMT's allied organizations -- such as the Broadcasting Corporation of China
(BCC) -- purchased both buildings and equipment with government funds. Some of
that property is now under investigation
while others have fallen into private hands. According
to figures released by the Ministry of Finance's National Property Bureau, real
estate registered in the KMT's name includes 800 lots of land and 567 buildings,
accounting for a total land area of 400,000m2. The BCC's real estate holdings
include 112 lots of land and 69 buildings. According
to the government's valuation, all this land and buildings have a combined worth
of NT$14 billion. Current market prices would actually take that figure to well
over NT$20 billion. For many years the KMT had the reputation as the world's
richest political party -- but NT$20 billion is a far cry from the estimated
NT$80 billion the party had in 2000. The
KMT knows that a modern political party in a democratic country should not have
such huge assets and that it is these assets that have firmly linked the party
in the minds of many people to "black gold" politics. If the KMT
continues to refuse to admit that a problem exists and does not act to return
these assets to the people, it will be committing political suicide. Come
December, the people have the chance once again to show their displeasure with
the KMT's miserly grip on public assets. If the pan-green camp wins a
legislative majority, the bill on the political party assets will be passed.
Then the KMT will be hard pressed to prevent the government from making an audit
of its ill-gotten gains.
Chen
gets nowhere with goodwill By
Chiou Chwei-liang
President
Chen Shui-bian, on taking office in 2000, gave an inauguration speech in which
he talked of the "five noes," an expression of his good intentions
toward China. This did not impress the Chinese leaders in Beijing at the time,
including former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, who claimed that Chen was
pro-independence and declared that they would be "listening to his words
and observing his actions." Over
the next four years, Chen continued to show goodwill, putting forward the
concepts of "assimilation" and "a future one China." His
invitation to have tea with Jiang on the front line isle of Tatun in April 2002
was met with similar coldness and derision. In the meantime China has been
amassing missiles along the coast facing Taiwan, increasing its military threat
and, in line with its policies of isolating Taiwan on the international stage,
giving the nation little room to breathe. Beijing
was frustrated once again in the presidential elections this year, when Chen was
able to defeat the pan-blue alliance's ticket of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong. During
his inauguration speech this time, in addition to reiterating his adherence to
the five noes principle, Chen also declared that he ruled nothing out in terms
of the future political relationship with China, as long as any changes had the
consent of the Taiwanese people. This included the possibility of unification
with China. Despite Lien's and Soong's continued refusal to accept their
electoral defeat, and their endless assertions that "there is no president
without the truth," Chen's second term was assured. Nevertheless,
the Beijing authorities are still refusing to have any contact with the Chen
government. During his Double Ten National Day address, Chen said, "Taiwan
is pleased to witness the steady progress, reforms and peaceful emergence of
China. We also extend our best wishes to the other side of the Strait as it
prepares for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and we hope that it will be a successful
event conducted in accordance with the Olympic spirit of peace and
equality." He
repeated the call he made in his May 20 inauguration address, in which he called
for leaders on both sides of the Strait in the new century to heed the new trend
of regional integration and globalization, to adopt a brand new frame of mind
and take a fresh approach in addressing future cross-strait issues. The exact
form that future political relations between China and Taiwan take, as far as
Chen was concerned, depended on the will of everyone in Taiwan. Chen
went on to say, "Cross-strait relations are not necessarily a zero-sum
game, there will never be a winner unless it's a win-win situation for both
sides." He
said he believed that this was a point the fourth-generation leadership in
Beijing should be able to understand. "On
many issues, the governments and the peoples on both sides of the Strait hold
different views -- some of which result from the absence of communication. In
light of this, I have, on many occasions, proposed that, based on the existing
foundation, both sides should promote the resumption of cross-strait dialogue
and communication channels, so as to reduce the gap between the two sides and to
construct a foundation of mutual trust," he said. "Today,
I would like to take the initiative to propose that both sides use the basis of
the 1992 meeting in Hong Kong to seek possible schemes that are `not necessarily
perfect but accept-able,' as preparation for a step forward in the resumption of
dialogue and consultation," he said. Finally,
Chen proposed arms control, "establishing a mechanism of mutual trust in
the military field," the creation of "a code of conduct across the
Taiwan Strait," and a "convenient and efficient means to facilitate
chartered flights for passengers and cargo" as topics for discussion. Chen
has now shown Beijing about as much goodwill as he can. If he keeps going, he
will wind up accepting the "one China" principle. Lien
has said that Chen's remarks on basing negotiations on the 1992 talks in Hong
Kong are nothing new, and only a perfunctory response to the situation. He also
said that the "1992 consensus" was reached in negotiations between the
KMT and Chinese governments, and that its importance lies in "one China,
with each side having its own interpretation." The
Taiwan Solidarity Union has criticized Chen's speech, saying that it is not much
of a breakthrough as far as cross-strait relations go. Li
Jiaquan, former director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Taiwan
Institute, believes that "one China" and recognition that the
"1992 consensus" means recognizing the "one China" principle
are the keys to renewed cross-strait talks, and that all Chen's talk about hope
for renewed cross-strait talks is goodwill in name, but not in deed. Mainland
Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu has offered a clarification [of Chen's
speech], saying that the foundation of the 1992 Hong Kong talks wasn't the KMT's
"one China, with each side having its own interpretation," nor
Beijing's "one China" principle. According to Wu, the spirit of the
1992 talks was to leave disputes aside and concentrate on talks. Chen
has made great concessions by putting forward his new policy. The fourth
generation Chinese leadership has only just come to power, and we are waiting
intently to find out whether Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao
will have a new vision and style, and more wisdom, as well as the ability to
consider peace and the bigger picture and initiate talks with Chen. However,
judging from Beijing's total boycott of Chen over the past four years and from
recent leaked information, it is difficult to be optimistic. I'll give one
example why this is so. Kevin
Rudd, foreign affairs spokesman in Australia's shadow Cabinet, is a politician
with a deep understanding of dictatorial China and democratic Taiwan. He has
studied in Taiwan and served as a diplomat in China -- he was in Beijing at the
time of the Tiananmen Massacre. In recent years he has traveled and met with
political leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including with Chen. We
are quite good friends, and I believe that he approves of Taiwan's
democratization and has feelings for Taiwan. He
often says that he is a good friend of Taiwan's. He has visited China several
times this year, meeting with high-level Chinese leaders. Lately, he has said in
public, as well as to me in private, that Chinese leaders have been listening
intently to Chen and observing his actions closely over the past four years, and
they believe that he is an independence fundamentalist who personally,
psychologically and politically is determined to have Taiwan break away from
China and establish an independent Taiwanese republic. The
leadership in Beijing therefore believes that they must take a different
approach to dealing with Chen. Rudd's interpretation is that this
"different approach" means military liberation of Taiwan. This has him
very worried, and has led him to use strong language to warn Taiwan not to take
any rash action that China may find provocative. He
tells me that this is for the good of Taiwan, but I don't buy that. But we
cannot ignore the tough attitudes that he tells us Beijing leaders are taking
toward Chen. I
hope that Rudd is wrong, and that Hu and Wen will be capable of showing new
vision and more wisdom, and that they will meet and negotiate with Chen when
they see his goodwill, sincerity and earnest efforts. I hope the conflict can be
solved by finding a reasonable, peaceful, mutually beneficial way that will
maintain the prosperity and happiness of the millions of people on both sides of
the Taiwan Strait. This
is what I hope, but I am not very optimistic. Chiou
Chwei-liang is a visiting professor at Tamkang University.
Olympic
isolation By
Gordon Tomlinso Has
China started to make waves for Taiwan in the 2008 Olympics? International
Olym-pic Committee President Jacques Rogge has stated recently that he is
looking into the possibility of discontinuing the holding of some sporting
events in the 2008 Olympic Games. These sports include baseball and taekwando,
both of which Taiwan, or should I say "Chinese Taipei," excels at. It
seems that no-one has picked up on this bit of news which came to light a days
ago. Is this just another way which China is trying to isolate Taiwan four years
before the games even begin? What
will happen when we get closer to to 2008. Will they try to refuse visas for the
Tai-wanese athletes or officials?
`Lam
pa' a distraction By
Huang Jei-hsuan It
was unfortunate, in my humble opinion, that the whole lam pa episode in
Taiwan might have again fallen victim to the distraction/division tactics --
long perfected and frequently exercised throughout Taiwan's history -- employed
by the anti-Taiwan media and their cohorts aiming to belittle all things
Taiwanese. It
seems that the the debacle over Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen's
reference to Singapore as "holding China's balls [lam pa] was meant
to drive a wedge between pro-Taiwan supporters and to divert attention away from
matters of far greater importance: Taiwan's ongoing UN membership bid, name
rectification and the need to enhance military defenses. If
the anti-Taiwan media and its cohorts continue to get too excited about the
cardinal sin of using "dirty" words in public, they should be reminded
that there is nothing dirtier than 600 missiles threatening to rain down on
Taiwan. There
is definitely nothing as crude as biting the very hand that has been feeding
them all these years.
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