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      In a recent interview with a foreign radio station, President Lee Teng-hui stated that relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should be characterized as a "special state-to-state relationship." This declaration will provide an important basis for the normalization of cross-strait relations in the next century.

      President Lee's declaration carries a three-fold significance.

      First, it is pragmatic. Although the Chinese communists established the People's Republic of China in 1949, its jurisdiction has never extended over Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, the area ruled by the government of the Republic of China. Since the revision of the constitution in 1991, the president, the vice president, and the people's representatives at all levels of government in the Republic of China have been directly elected by the people, and the legitimate right to govern the state has thus been derived only from the people of the Taiwan area. Therefore, it is an indisputable political and historical fact that the ROC and the PRC are separate governments ruling, respectively, the Taiwan area and the mainland area.

      Second, the declaration represents a continuity of policy. Under President Lee's leadership, the ROC's mainland China policy has progressed in full conformity with mainstream public opinion amid a growing consensus forged among the ruling and opposition parties. President Lee's declaration is primarily a clarification of the current state of cross-strait relations. There has been no significant change or revision in our mainland China policy, and Taipei will continue to promote the ongoing exchanges and dialogue between the two sides.

      Third, it is innovative. In the Guidelines for National Unification published in 1991, we have declared that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are two equal political entities. This definition was established to temporarily set aside disputes over sovereignty, and create extended opportunities for interactions between the two sides. Subsequently, in a show of goodwill, we have adopted a series of policy adjustments, including terminating the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion, promoting consultations, expanding exchanges, and formulating the Statute Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.

      However, as we review events over the past few years, it is clear that Beijing has responded to our goodwill with hostility. It has time and again expanded the definition of its "one China" policy. Under the guise of its Hong Kong and Macau models, Beijing has attempted to apply its "one country, two systems" formula to Taiwan. At the same time, Beijing has test-launched missiles into the Taiwan Strait. It has verbally disparaged and militarily intimidated us. Beijing even cooked up excuses to suspend the institutionalized cross-strait consultations and exchanges. It has purposely procrastinated in resolving the issue of disorderly cross-strait exchanges. Overall, it has used every imaginable method to minimize the ROC's existence in the international community.

      The abnormal relations between the two sides are caused by Beijing's refusal to face reality. At the dawn of the 21st century, relations between the two sides should be clearly defined based on objective political and legal reality, so that the two sides will be able to avoid disputes over the meaning of "one China," thereby opening a new page for interactions between them under an innovative concept. It is believed that Taipei and Beijing can, on an equal footing, discuss any issues that the two sides currently face, including political consultations that the Chinese mainland has always advocated.

      The cross-strait relationship is "special" because it involves the national sentiment and cultural factors, which are present in no other relationships. Thus, an equal and normalized cross-strait relationship should be better and closer than other country-to-country relationships. Based on the foundation and the channels already established, and through constructive dialogue, institutionalized consultations, and orderly exchanges, we are willing to develop a framework for a peaceful, stable and long-term relationship that will enable both sides of the Strait and the region to benefit on reciprocal terms. We would like to call on the mainland authorities to face the cross-strait reality that has existed for many years and pragmatically work with us to usher in a new era of beneficial interaction between the two sides in the 21st century.