Pan-blue & pen green

MAC seeks to soothe jitters over a pan-green majority

By Joy Su  STAFF REPORTER
 

A pan-green majority in the legislature will be conducive to improved cross-strait ties and bring about political stability, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu  said yesterday.

"If the pan-green camp manages to secure a majority in the Legislative Yuan, China will have to divest itself of the illusion that the pan-blue camp will return to power. China would then be more willing to sit down with the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] and the pan-green camp," Wu said yesterday during an international press conference.

Wu went on to demonstrate that despite concerns that political moves instigated by the ruling DPP would threaten cross-strait ties, President Chen Shui-bian had adhered to promises to employ goodwill.

"In 2000, when Chen was elected president, everyone was afraid that war and a formal declaration of independence was imminent ? But that hasn't happened," Wu said.

"Our overall policy is one of goodwill, active cooperation, and lasting peace. You can't go wrong with this," Wu said.

In an attempt to assuage fears that the push for a pan-green majority and Chen's proposal for constitutional reform would destabilize cross-strait relations, Wu said the moves were part of the nation's democratization.

"Taiwan is a new democracy and there are many lingering issues left behind by past authorities," Wu said, adding that the national emblem closely resembles that of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and that the national anthem was the KMT's anthem.

"Our pursuit of democratization has nothing to do with changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait," Wu said.

Wu said that the chance for negotiations and constitutional reform were not mutually exclusive.

Name-change proposal wouldn't change status quo

IDENTIFICATION: When China forces Taiwan to change its name this is not seen as changing the status quo; when Taiwan does it, it should be viewed in the same way
By Melody Chen
STAFF REPORTER
 

The US, which has been quiet as China forced international organizations and conference hosts to change the name of Taiwanese delegations, should be more balanced in its treatment of Beijing and Taipei, an academic said yesterday.

The US State Department said on Monday that President Chen Shui-bian's proposal to use "Taiwan" in the names of the country's overseas offices, relevant government agencies and state-run enterprises appeared to "unilaterally change Taiwan's status."

But the move actually has little effect, as China has altered Taiwan's status on various international occasions, said Lo Chih-cheng, executive director of the Institute for National Policy Research.

"China often asked hosts of international conferences to change the name of teams from Taiwan. It is an obvious attempt to change Taiwan's status, but the US has not cared much about this. We need to urge Washington to not apply a double standard to Taiwan and China," Lo said.

Negotiations with other countries regarding name changes to Taiwan's representative offices used to be an extremely low-key affair. After Chen publicly pledged to launch the policy, Beijing may use the opportunity to tell countries that accepting Taiwan's name-change proposal amounts to supporting Taiwanese independence, Lo said in an interview.

After the US voiced opposition to Chen's name-change plan, senior officials of the Presidential Office quickly explained it had nothing to do with Taiwanese independence, but is merely a policy to highlight the entity of Taiwan.

On the domestic side, the name changes will involve at least 27 government-affiliated agencies belonging to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of Education and Ministry of the Interior.

On the diplomatic front, the overhaul of the various names used by Taiwan's 119 overseas offices and missions will be a highly politically sensitive and time-consuming task. No one knows when it can be completed, even though Chen vowed to finish the job in two years.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the government's two favorite names for its overseas representative offices and missions are the Republic of China (ROC) and Taiwan.

Currently, 38 of the country's overseas offices adopt the ROC in their official titles.

They include Taiwan's 27 embassies, three consulate-generals -- in Paraguay, Honduras and Panama, and commercial offices in Ecuador, Bolivia, Fuji, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

"Taipei" is used in the titles of 81 of Taiwan's overseas representative offices, while the country's missions in Hong Kong, Macau, Okinawa and at the World Trade Organization (WTO) use names that almost conceal which country they represent.

The "Sino-Ryukyuan Cultural & Economic Association Ryukyu Office" stands for Taiwan's mission in Okinawa, and the country's representative office at the WTO is called the "Permanent Mission of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu."

Name changes of the offices are not a new idea, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) said. "We had been working toward this when we were in the US," he said, referring to his decades-long political activities in America.

Koo blasts US for `arrogance'

NAME-CHANGE PLAN: The presidential adviser made the comments after American officials criticized a plan to change the names of overseas offices and state-run firms
By Huang Tai-lin
STAFF REPORTER
 

Senior Presidential Adviser Koo Kwang-ming yesterday said the US is too arrogant and is treating Taiwan as if it is a colony.

"The unfriendly attitude displayed by the US in response to Taiwan's move to rectify its name suggests that the US has forgotten the original ideals and dreams it upheld when it was first founded," Koo said.

Koo made the remark yesterday at the launch of a new book by Chinese dissident and writer Cao Chang-ching. Many of the invited guests took the opportunity to voice their discontentment over the US' opposition to President Chen Shui-bian's proposal to rectify the names of Taiwan's overseas representative offices and all relevant government agencies to "Taiwan."

US State Department Spokesman Adam Ereli on Monday said Chen's name-change plan would alter the "status quo" and thus the US does not support "changes of terminology for government-controlled enterprises or economic and cultural offices abroad" as Chen had proposed.

"Taiwan is a small country while the US is a big one. The big one will remain oblivious if the small one keeps on seeking approval from the big one," Koo said.

Koo said Taiwan must stand its ground on the name-rectification issue despite US opposition.

"As long as Taiwan holds fast to its stance, the US will change," Koo said.

Ruan Ming , a presidential advisor attending the book release, added his opinion. Citing the name of the US' de facto embassy in Taiwan, Ruan said it "is called the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and not the American Institute in China."

Ruan is a former special assistant to the late general secretary of the Communist Party of China Hu Yaoban.

"Why is that you [the US] can call Taiwan by the name Taiwan, yet allow not Taiwan to call itself Taiwan?" Ruan said.

The two books presented by Cao yesterday were titled Value of Independence " and American Values ."

Ruan, who has been a citizen of Taiwan for two years, suggested to Cao that he might want to give his new books to the US as a present to remind the US of its original values.

Senior Presidential Adviser Peng Ming-min said that although the promotion of Taiwan independence has been going on for almost 60-70 years, "half the people of Taiwan still have no clear idea and don't know who they really are."

"These people should feel ashamed" in contrast to the reality and truth about Taiwan's status Cao has grasped, Peng said.

Peng, who is widely regarded as the godfather of the nation's independence movement, said he hopes Cao's books will help inspire and educate people in Taiwan.

With the legislative elections less than two days away, former president Lee Teng-hui, who also attended the event, urged the public to use their ballots on Saturday to elect a new legislature that can represent "Taiwan's value."

Unlike many Chinese dissidents who call for democratic reforms in China yet appear hesitant when it comes to the issue of Taiwan independence, Cao, a New York-based political commentator, advocates Taiwan's right to self-determination.

Lee expressed gratitude for Cao's support of Taiwan independence and said Cao's independent judgment originates in his believe in the value of liberty and democracy.

While praising Cao's persistence in believing the "truth," Lee criticized the "no truth, no president" slogan of the pan-blue camp as "a truth that had been manufactured, a remnant of the party-state consciousness."

Aside from Lee and the several senior presidential advisors, Cao was also joined by other guests such as National Policy Advisor Alice King , World United Formosans for Independence Chairman Ng Chiau-tong and renowned political commentator Chin Heng-wei.

While Cao has written hundreds of articles for leading journals in the US, Taiwan and Hong Kong pushing the cause of independence for Tibet, Taiwan and Xinjiang, and endorsing democratic reforms in China, this was the first time he has released his books in Taiwan.

In the book titled The Value of Independence, Cao conveys his views on Taiwan independence and outlines his long-held stance on Tibet and Xinjiang's right to self-determination.

American Values details his observations of the US values gathered during his 18-year stay in the country.

Say `Taiwan' aloud, Chen urges people

BELIEVE: The president told a crowd at a rally that they had nothing to fear from China, which was always opposed to Taiwan's democratization efforts
By Jewel Huang
STAFF REPORTER
 President Chen Shui-bian  yesterday encouraged everyone to say aloud that the country's name is "Taiwan" as long as people believe in the name, stressing that there is no need to worry about China's threats over Taiwan's bid to rectify its name.

Chen once again vowed to change the names of government agencies overseas and state-run enterprises during a campaign activity held in Taipei City yesterday.

"We don't have to fear China's opposition to Taiwan's reforms and changes," Chen said after praying for DPP candidates at Baoan Temple  yesterday morning.

"In fact, China has never stopped threatening Taiwan while we conducted democratic reforms over the past few decades."

Chen said that, from the lifting of martial law and bans on establishing political parties and newspapers, to elections for the legislature and direct elections for president, China has never voiced its consent to Taiwan's changes.

"But we would never give up our transformation just because of China's intimidation," Chen said.

Meanwhile, Chen rebutted some people's argument that the state-run corporations will not make profits anymore if those businesses quit using "China" or "Chinese" in their titles, criticizing these comments as "nonsense."

"Did Wang Yung-ching's  Formosa Plastics Group use the word `China' in its company name? No, it didn't. Yet Wang's company is still profitable," Chen said.

"Why can't we change our name?" Chen asked, pointing out that Taiwan had already successfully changed the bizarre names of Taiwan's resident office in Washington from "Coordination Council for North American Affairs" to "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US."

The Association of East Asian Relations, the representative office in Japan, was also changed to the "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office."

By citing a statement that Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou  made when he campaigned for his mayoral reelection in 2002, Chen told a rally in Taichung County yesterday that he needs a stable legislature with a majority of the pan-green camp members to push forward with reforms.

He emphasized that the case is the same as when Ma needed a majority in the Taipei City Council for a better administration.

Chen stressed that only when the pan-green camp wins the legislative elections could Ma have a chance to extend his political future, otherwise Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong will never give up politics.

"Just as Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou appealed to Taipei citizens as he sought for his mayoral reelection in 2002, which Ma said that since voters supported his re-election, they should also promise him a stable city council for the sake of better municipal construction," Chen said.

"So did I. I asked all of you to vote for the pan-green camps so that I could have the back-up of the legislature to continue implementing all kinds of reform," Chen said.

Japan blasts China after `research' ship intrudes in EEZ

AP , TOKYO
In a fresh protest against China, Japan has urged Beijing to immediately stop unannounced geographical research it is conducting in Tokyo's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Pacific, a top government spokesman said yesterday.

The Japanese government lodged the protest through diplomatic channels on Tuesday night soon after confirming that a Chinese ship was conducting research off Japan's southernmost island Okinotorishima, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said.

The new diplomatic clash comes less than a month after Japan protested a brief incursion by a Chinese submarine into Japanese waters.

The incursion put Japan's navy on alert, though officials in Tokyo said later that Beijing had apologized for the incident.

Hosoda told reporters yesterday that the Chinese ship's activity near the southern island, made without prior notification to Japan, was "extremely regrettable."

There had been no reply from China over Japan's protest as of yesterday morning, he said.

"It is important to abide by the rules, since both sides have agreed not to engage in a sea confrontation, but cooperation," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters Wednesday morning.

Japan and China, East Asia's two most powerful countries, have had persistent tensions. The two are squabbling over interpretations of World War II history, the ownership of East China Sea islands and nearby natural gas fields.

A reconnaissance aircraft belonging to Japan's Maritime Self Defense Forces (MSDF) spotted the Chinese survey ship, the Kexue Yihao, in waters about 320km south of Okinotorishima at around 8pm Tuesday, said MSDF spokesman Taijiro Omata.

That location would be just barely inside Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Chinese vessels are required to notify Japan two months prior to conducting research in the zone, but the ship has not complied and has indicated it plans to stay on, Omata.

Okinotorishima, Japan's southernmost island, is located 1,730km southeast of Tokyo.

The tiny island is comprised of two outcroppings, which have been significantly fortified with concrete against the encroaching waves.

China has argued that the islands are only rocks, and therefore do not qualify as territory that Japan can use to extend its economic zone.

Without the outcroppings, Japan's zone would be reduced by 400,000km2.

Japan disputed China's characterization of the island.

"We don't agree with that opinion," Hosoda said.

Japanese aircraft continued to monitor activity by the 2,579 tonne Kexue Yihao, believed to be conducting maritime research by sending sound waves into the sea, Omata said.

It was the 34th maritime research by Chinese vessels conducted within Japan's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and confirmed by MSDF aircraft this year so far, up sharply from eight cases confirmed the whole of last year, Omata said.

Editorial: It's Taiwan's right to change

These days, Taiwan seems unable to escape criticism. Whatever President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) does, the US accuses him of "attempting to unilaterally change the status quo." The referendum on arms purchases held with the March 20 presidential election was considered a violation of the status quo, and the move to rename Taiwan's overseas government agencies is also being criticized as a violation of the status quo. One cannot help but wonder if the trade pact signed by China and ASEAN states is also a violation of the status quo, since Taiwan's economic advantages are being marginalized. Both German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac have recently been working to lift the EU's arms embargo against China. Isn't this also a violation of the status quo? What is the US' view of China's actions?

The terminology of contemporary politics is being defined by China alone. In applying these rules, China seems to have brought the rest of the world under its wing, with the US following China's lead in the use of this terminology, seemingly unaware of danger. China is trying to bury Taiwan alive with the term "status quo," and unfortunately, the US might be serving as Beijing's unwitting accomplice.

So what is the status quo? Is it the divine right of kings or of democratic politics? Is it authoritarianism or freedom? Taiwan was a member state of the UN over 30 years ago and enjoyed diplomatic ties with the US and most other countries. Although most have severed their ties with Taiwan since then, the economy has grown and politically the nation has moved away from the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). After the US turned its back on Taiwan in 1979, what point in time can be used to define the status quo? If the status quo is understood by the US as a situation in which China deploys an estimated 600 ballistic missiles against Taiwan and upholding its "one China" principle while gradually trying to take over the island, then what is the point of such a status quo? Why does Washington want to maintain Beijing's military threat and even rationalize it as the status quo?

There is nothing wrong with correcting Taiwan's name, and it in no way threatens anyone or infringes upon others' rights. Many African countries cast off the yoke of colonial rule, rejected the colonial rulers' name and took new names. Rhodesia was a name that referred to a territory of white minority rule, which has now become the country of Zimbabwe, ruled by a black majority. The change of name was simply a statement of local identity.

Taiwan has shifted from the minority rule of Mainlanders during the KMT era to rule by all of the people. It's the public's right to change the country's name from one associated with a Chinese colonial regime.

ROC as relevant as the dodo

Changing the names of Taiwan's businesses to erase references to China is a great idea that should have been done long ago. Who, apart from locals would know or believe that China Airlines does not even fly to China? It is both ridiculous and confusing. These companies are an unwelcome reminder of the post-civil war era when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) still harbored foolish dreams of one day returning to its beloved motherland. Pan-blue politicians and supporters will inevitably complain that this is President Chen Shui-bian's  latest maneuver in his independence-by-stealth campaign. But this is just the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) way of gradually erasing the fallacy that is the Republic of China (ROC) from the view of the world and it should be congratulated.

Who but the pitiful KMT and their supporters could deny the Taiwanese people the chance to assert some form of identity for themselves and their nation, after a century or more of repression and imposition from different peoples? Those who still believe in a ROC and that Taiwan is a part of today's China should be given the chance to move back to their homeland across the Taiwan strait. There they will realize that apart from economic growth, things are not as rosy as they seem -- especially if they practice Falun Gong, protest against social justice, set up a labor union, or try to run as a candidate for democracy in China's sham local elections. They are more used to authoritarian rule, where money talks, loyalty is rewarded over talent, and you do as we say, or you go to prison. They are still finding it hard to adjust to the hard-won democracy that the people of Taiwan have achieved.

The ROC is about as relevant today as the dodo. And those who endlessly carp on about it are living in denial. Does Mexico still consider itself the legitimate government of the western part of America? Does Germany still lay claim to Austria and the other lands it conquered during the course of World War II? Of course not. Wars are won and lost, governments fall, and (some) people admit defeat.

No wonder KMT Chairman Lien Chan cannot bring himself to admit defeat in the presidential election, when the very society he lives in has failed to admit the death of an institution that occurred over 50 years ago. It's about time those whiners realize how lucky they are not to be living on the other side of the Strait and admit the reality of their situation. They do not live in China anymore, and deny it as they might Taiwan is a sovereign, independent nation in all but international status. And changing the name of a few institutions is just one of the first steps in the journey to finally ridding Taiwan of its unwelcome legacy.

Richard Hazeldine

Xindian