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Taiwan cool to
China’s unification call
‘SAME OLD STORY’: The DPP chairman said that
while the party welcomes cross-strait engagement, Hu Jintao’s warnings were a
rehash of past comments
By Chen Hui-ping and Chris Wang / Staff reporters
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday reiterated President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九)
“three noes” policy — no unification, no independence and no use of force — in
response to China’s call for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to negotiate and
sign a peace agreement.
Speaking at the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 18th National
Congress in Beijing yesterday, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) also warned
Taiwan against any moves toward independence and said that China would stick to
the principle of “peaceful unification” with Taiwan under the “one country, two
systems” model.
“We resolutely oppose any separatist attempt for Taiwan independence. The
Chinese people will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from the
motherland by any means,” he said.
“We will agree to interact with, conduct dialogue with and cooperate with any
political parties in Taiwan, as long as they do not advocate Taiwan independence
and as long as they identify with the ‘one China’ principle,” Hu said, adding
that peaceful and stable development across the Taiwan Strait is a must if China
is to achieve peaceful unification with Taiwan.
The council’s response said Taiwan’s government, under the Republic of China
Constitution framework, would maintain the cross-strait “status quo” by
upholding the “three noes” policy and the so-called “1992 consensus” — which
stipulates that there is “one China, with each side having its own
interpretation” — as the basis for peaceful and stable cross-strait development.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office publicized the content of President Ma Ying-jeou’s
(馬英九) interview with Asia Week magazine that was conducted on Friday last week,
in which the president was asked whether he has considered signing a peace
agreement with China. According to the press release, Ma said that last year, he
floated the idea of a cross-strait peace agreement when he laid out his vision
of a “golden decade” for the country, but many in Taiwan expressed doubt about
it, which means that there is ample room for discussion on whether such a
formality is needed.
In response to Hu’s speech, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su
Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that his comments relating to Taiwan were “basically the
same” as those in the past.
“Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country. The differences between Taiwan
and China, as well as mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, are a political
reality that Beijing cannot evade,” Su said on the sidelines of a Rotary Club
event.
“The DPP intends to engage the CCP with confidence and enthusiasm,” Su said.
“However, it would also encourage Chinese leaders to broaden their perspective
and embrace Taiwanese public opinion,” he said.
While some DPP members and supporters are calling on the party to adjust its
China policy, Su reiterated that there is “no rush” to implement such proposals,
including the establishment of a China affairs committee and holding an
intraparty debate on the party’s China policy.
The DPP’s China policy, Su said, should be formulated under the framework of
regional security and global politics and after Chinese Vice President Xi
Jinping (習近平), Hu’s anointed successor, has consolidated his power and unveiled
his policy on Taiwan.
Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) told a press conference
that Taiwanese should closely monitor Xi, who is widely perceived as the most
knowledgeable Chinese politician on Taiwanese affairs and the first to suggest
the “unification by trade” (以經促統) strategy.
“It’s worth watching if Xi continues Hu’s Taiwan policy by yielding more
benefits and promoting more market opening before applying more political
pressure on President Ma to sign a cross-strait peace agreement,” Hsu said.
Hsu also expected Xi to make use of “soft power,” trying to appeal to Taiwanese
sympathies by promoting Chinese culture and establishing a communication
platform between the CCP and the DPP to force Ma to accelerate his cross-strait
political agenda.
Additionally, Xi could attempt to incorporate Taiwan by signing a wide range of
bilateral agreements, including cross-strait cooperation on culture, media,
religion and banking, which would become a “web” to advance a “natural
unification process,” he said.
Chinese premier-designate Lee Keqiang (李克強) and Chinese People’s Political
Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Qishan (王岐山) are expected to take charge
of the economic policies related to Taiwan, given their background in economic
affairs, Hsu said.
In terms of Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi (王毅), who is expected to be
promoted to the CCP politburo, Hsu said Wang had successfully enforced a “united
front” tactic by arranging visits by hundreds of provincial officials and
delegations to Taiwan.
Wang is also expected to play a pivotal role in Beijing’s Taiwan policy in the
future as well, Hsu added.
Additional reporting by Huang Wei-chu and agencies
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