DATE=10/19/98 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-41629 TITLE=CHINA / TAIWAN BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: TAIWAN'S TOP CHINA NEGOTIATOR -- KOO CHEN FU -- HAS FLOWN BACK TO THE ISLAND AFTER STRIKING A DEAL WITH HIS CHINESE COUNTERPART -- WANG DAOHAN -- TO EXPLORE WAYS TO RESTART A FORMAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE TWO CROSS-STRAIT RIVALS. V-O-A CORRESPONDENT ROGER WILKISON REPORTS MR. KOO MANAGED TO BREAK THE ICE BUT NOT THE DEADLOCK THAT EXISTS BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. TEXT: HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS BETWEEN CHINA AND TAIWAN HAD BEEN FROZEN FOR THREE YEARS BEFORE MR. KOO'S VISIT TO SHANGHAI AND BEIJING. CHINA SCRAPPED AN INCIPIENT DIALOGUE WITH THE ISLAND AFTER TAIWANESE PRESIDENT LEE TENG-HUI MADE AN UNOFFICIAL TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES. CHINA SAW THE JOURNEY AS AN ATTEMPT TO RAISE TAIWAN'S INTERNATIONAL PROFILE AND A RETREAT FROM BEIJING'S GOAL OF REUNIFICATION. MR. KOO CHARACTERIZED HIS MEETINGS WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN AND OTHER OFFICIALS AS WARM, BUT HE WAS FORTHRIGHT ABOUT STATING THE ISLAND'S POSITION ON REUNIFICATION. CHINA HAS OFFERED TO REINCORPORATE TAIWAN UNDER THE SAME "ONE COUNTRY-TWO SYSTEMS" FORMULA THAT GRANTED HONG KONG A WIDE DEGREE OF AUTONOMY. BUT TAIWANESE FOREIGN MINISTER JASON HU SAYS THE ISLAND CANNOT EVEN CONSIDER REUNIFICATION UNTIL CHINA BECOMES A DEMOCRACY. // HU ACTUALITY // WHAT WOULD IT BRING TO US THAT WE DO NOT HAVE NOW? WOULD IT BRING US MORE FREEDOM? WOULD IT BRING US MORE DEMOCRACY? PEOPLE HERE, YOU KNOW, ARE NOW IN A FULLY DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM, THEY JUST SIMPLY WOULD NOT ACCEPT A ONE COUNTRY-TWO SYSTEMS FORMULA. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND TAIWAN IN THIS REGARD. WE HAVE A TRUE DEMOCRACY HERE, AND THE WISH OF THE PEOPLE MUST BE RESPECTED. //END ACTUALITY// A POLL RELEASED THIS MONTH BY THE TAIWANESE GOVERNMENT SHOWS THAT A MAJORITY OF THE ISLAND'S PEOPLE WANT TO CONTINUE ENJOYING TAIWAN'S CURRENT STATUS OF DE FACTO INDEPENDENCE. AND IT REVEALS THAT MOST OF THEM WANT TO POSTPONE ANY DECISION ON REUNIFICATION. BUT CHINA IS PUSHING HARD AND HAS TOLD TAIWAN THAT DISCUSSION OF POLITICAL ISSUES RELATED TO EVENTUAL REUNIFICATION MUST BE ON THE AGENDA IF THE TWO SIDES ARE TO RESUME A FORMAL DIALOGUE. CHINA REFUSES TO RULE OUT THE USE OF FORCE TO RECAPTURE THE ISLAND, ESPECIALLY IF IT DECLARES UNILATERAL INDEPENDENCE. CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN TANG GUOQIANG -- SPEAKING THROUGH AN INTERPRETER -- ARGUES THAT THE THREAT ACTUALLY FACILITATES A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF THE TAIWAN QUESTION. // INTERPRETER ACT // WE ARE TRYING TO REACH A PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION OF THE MOTHERLAND, BUT WE DO NOT COMMIT TO GIVE UP THE MILITARY MEANS. THE NON-ABANDONMENT OF MILITARY MEANS IS ENSURING THE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF THE TAIWAN ISSUE. // END ACT // CHINA ALSO REJECTS THE IDEA THAT TAIWAN HAS A RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION, EVEN THOUGH BEIJING RECENTLY SIGNED AN INTERNATIONAL COVENANT THAT GUARANTEES THAT RIGHT. CHINESE SPOKESMAN TANG SAYS SELF DETERMINATION APPLIES TO PEOPLE UNDER COLONIAL RULE BUT NOT TO PEOPLE LIVING WITHIN A SOVEREIGN STATE LIKE CHINA. // INTERPRETER ACT // SELF-DETERMINATION CANNOT BE INTERPRETED AS ALLOWING OR ENCOURAGING ACTIVITIES AIMED AT SPLITTING THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF A SOVEREIGN STATE. //END ACTUALITY// DURING HIS VISIT, MR. KOO FREQUENTLY SAID IT WILL TAKE TIME AND MANY CONTACTS TO PEEL AWAY THE LAYERS OF MISTRUST THAT HAVE EXISTED ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAIT SINCE THE COMMUNISTS CHASED THE CHINESE NATIONALISTS OFF THE MAINLAND AND ONTO THE ISLAND IN 1949. ANALYST JEAN-PIERRE CABESTAN OF THE FRENCH RESEARCH CENTER ON CONTEMPORARY CHINA IN HONG KONG THINKS MR. KOO'S VISIT HELPED TAIWAN SCORE SOME POINTS INTERNATIONALLY, DESPITE THE DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION BEIJING HAS IMPOSED ON IT. //CABESTAN ACTUALITY// THIS MEETING WAS SIGNIFICANT IN A WAY THAT IT GAVE THE OCCASION FOR TAIWAN TO MAKE BETTER KNOWN ITS POSITION AND NOT ONLY TO THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP. IN THE REST OF THE WORLD, PEOPLE AND LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNMENTS ARE GOING TO UNDERSTAND BETTER THAT, TO MAKE A DEAL, WE HAVE TO BE TWO (THAT BOTH SIDES HAVE TO AGREE TO MAKE A DEAL) AND THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE (BOTH SIDES) INTO ACCOUNT, THE POSITION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, (AND) THE POSITION OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN. //END ACT// MR. CABESTAN'S POINT WAS BORNE OUT BY INTERNATIONAL REPORTERS COVERING THE CHINA/TAIWAN TALKS. THE TAIWANESE SIDE WAS OPEN TO THE NEWS MEDIA, AVAILABLE TO REPORTERS AT ALL TIMES, WHEREAS THE CHINESE SIDE LIMITED ITSELF TO A FEW OFFICIAL BRIEFINGS AND WAS OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT. (SIGNED) NEB/RW/GC/FC/KL 19-Oct-98 9:00 AM EDT (1300 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
