DATE=10/17/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-240331 TITLE=CHINA / TAIWAN (L-ONLY) BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: TAIWAN'S TOP CHINA NEGOTIATOR --KOO CHEN-FU-- IS SCHEDULED TO MEET WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN SUNDAY IN BEIJING IN WHAT WILL BE THE HIGHEST CONTACT ON CHINESE SOIL BETWEEN THE TWO RIVALS SINCE THE END OF THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR IN 1949. V-O-A CORRESPONDENT ROGER WILKISON REPORTS THE MEETING COMES AFTER MR. KOO AND HIS CHINESE COUNTERPART --WANG DAOHAN-- TOOK STEPS EARLIER THIS WEEK TOWARD A RENEWAL OF THE CROSS-STRAIT DIALOGUE THAT WAS BROKEN OFF BY CHINA THREE YEARS AGO. TEXT: TAIWAN HAS TRIED COUNTLESS TIMES TO RE-START FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH CHINA SINCE BEIJING SCRAPPED A PREVIOUS ROUND OF TALKS TO PUNISH THE ISLAND FOR TRYING TO BREAK OUT OF THE DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION CHINA HAS IMPOSED ON IT. CHINA'S CONDITION FOR RENEWED TALKS HAS BEEN THAT THEY MUST FOCUS ON TAIWAN'S EVENTUAL REUNIFICATION WITH THE MAINLAND. TAIWAN HAS HELD OUT FOR A DISCUSSION OF SUCH PRACTICAL MATTERS AS FISHING DISPUTES AND PROTECTION OF TAIWANESE CITIZENS DOING BUSINESS ON THE MAINLAND. UNDER THE AGREEMENT REACHED THURSDAY BY MR. KOO AND MR. WANG, THEIR TOP AIDES WILL EXPLORE WAYS TO RESUME A FORMAL DIALOGUE, AND MR. WANG WILL VISIT TAIWAN EARLY NEXT YEAR. BOTH SIDES SAID FUTURE TALKS WILL ENCOMPASS THE POLITICAL ISSUES CHINA WANTS TO DISCUSS AND THE DAY-TO-DAY ISSUES TAIWAN WANTS TO TALK ABOUT. TAIWAN'S NATIONALIST PARTY GOVERNMENT HAS PAID LIP SERVICE TO THE IDEA OF EVENTUAL REUNIFICATION WITH THE MAINLAND BUT SAYS IT CAN ONLY COME AFTER THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY ENDS ITS MONOPOLY ON POWER AND BECOMES A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY. CHINA HAS OFFERED TO REINCORPORATE TAIWAN UNDER THE SAME FORMULA THAT ALLOWS HONG KONG TO MAINTAIN CONSIDERABLE AUTONOMY AND HAS EVEN SAID IT WILL ALLOW THE ISLAND TO MAINTAIN ITS ARMED FORCES. TAIWAN WANTS TO BE TREATED AS A SEPARATE AND EQUAL ENTITY. POLLS SHOW THAT A MAJORITY OF TAIWANESE SEE THEMSELVES AS BEING DIFFERENT FROM MAINLAND CHINESE. THEY ALSO SHOW MOST SUPPORT A CONTINUATION OF THE DE- FACTO INDEPENDENCE THE ISLAND HAS ENJOYED SINCE THE NATIONALISTS FLED THERE 49 YEARS AGO AFTER BEING EXPELLED FROM THE MAINLAND BY THE COMMUNISTS. THE TWO SIDES, THEREFORE, REMAIN DEEPLY DIVIDED, BUT DIPLOMATS IN BEIJING SAY THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE BROKEN THE ICE AND ARE TALKING AT ALL IS A SIGN OF PROGRESS. STILL, MR. KOO HAS CITED A LACK OF MUTUAL TRUST AS BEING THE BIGGEST ROADBLOCK TOWARD RE-STARTING FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS. PRESIDENT JIANG, WHO HAS ESTABLISHED REUNIFICATION AS ONE OF HIS TOP GOALS, HAS --BY SCHEDULING A ONE-HOUR MEETING WITH MR. KOO-- INDICATED THE IMPORTANCE HE ATTACHES TO WOOING TAIWAN BACK INTO THE FOLD. IN A SIGN OF CHINA'S UNUSUAL CHARM OFFENSIVE TOWARD THE ISLAND, THE TAIWANESE ENVOY, WHO IS ON AN UNOFFICIAL VISIT, IS STAYING AT THE BEIJING GUEST HOUSE USUALLY RESERVED FOR DISTINGUISHED FOREIGN VISITORS. (SIGNED) NEB/RW/PLM 17-Oct-98 5:30 AM EDT (0930 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
