SEF Chairman Koo¡¦s statement

July 30, 1999

In response to a question from a German reporter, during an interview by Deutsche Welle radio station, that ¡§the Beijing government views Taiwan as a renegade province,¡¨ President Lee remarked that the cross-strait relationship is ¡§at least a special state-to-state relationship.¡¨ President Lee¡¦s remarks clarified the reality that the ROC is a sovereign state and accurately reflected the views of the twenty-two million people in democratic Taiwan. President Lee also emphasized the fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are ruled separately and should threat each other on an equal basis.

President Lee¡¦s remark of the ¡§special relationship¡¨ at this juncture is primarily meant to lay a foundation of parity between the two sides across the Taiwan Strait to elevate the level of dialogue and to help build a mechanism for democracy and peace. Therefore, government leaders at various levels have reiterated that there is no change in the government policy on promoting cross-strait dialogue, implementing bilateral agreements (including those reached at the Koo-Wang talks) and pursuing our stated goal of a new China unified under democracy, freedom, and prosperity in the future. Some people have oversimplified President Lee¡¦s remarks as a ¡§two states theory¡¨, this has not only distorted his original meaning but also led to misunderstandings and speculations.

In the five decades since the PRC was established in 1949, China has been divided by the Taiwan Strait and ruled separately by two sovereign states. This has naturally resulted in a divided China and a special relationship across the Strait. President Lee¡¦s remarks of a ¡§special state-to-state relationship¡¨ carry the following meanings: First, the shared cultural and ethnic origins have ensured a very unique affinity between the two sides. Second, the close cross-strait exchanges in the civil, commercial, and other sectors are unparalleled, compared with other divided countries, past or present. Third, and most important, both sides are willing to pursue a unified China in the future by engaging in negotiations on the basis of parity.

In 1992, the Straits Exchange Foundation reached an oral agreement with its counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait: ¡§One China, with each side being entitled to its respective interpretation.¡¨ When I met with the representatives of the mainland last year, each side again made clear its respective stance, enabling the other side to realize that differences continue to exist. However, what was valuable was that both sides were still willing to seek a consensus through dialogue and communication. Unfortunately, the PRC has continually expanded its ¡§one China formula¡¨ to deny our existence, suggesting that China is already unified and implying that the ROC is nothing more than a local government. We see ¡§one China¡¨ in the future, since China is currently divided and ruled separately by two concurrently-existing, equal sovereign states, hence a ¡§special state-to-state relationship.¡¨ As President Lee pointed out on July 20, ¡§one China¡¨ will be created only after a democratic unification across the Strait is realized. That both sides have divergent views is something unavoidable in the process of seeking consensus. President Jiang Zemin has stated: ¡§So long as both sides engage in negotiations based on parity, a mutually acceptable resolution will eventually be found.¡¨ If one side is allowed to express its position, it should also allow the other side to express its position, as well. Neither side should deny the existence of the other. Only negotiations based on parity can enjoy the full support of the people.

The meeting I had with Mr. Wang Daohan in Singapore six years ago created a new environment essential for progress in the cross-strait relationship. Again, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my most sincere welcome to Mr. Wang, because direct communication is especially important when there are differences. Even a brief business-free visit to Taiwan by Mr. Wang will help improve mutual understanding. Mr. Wang¡¦s scheduled visit in autumn presents an opportunity of historical significance, as the cross-strait relationship enters the next millennium. We believe that we can openly discuss any topic with the Beijing, so as to identify clear and positive directions for the development of healthy cross-strait relations, thereby contributing to regional peace and stability.

SEF Chairman Koo¡¦s statement

July 30, 1999

In response to a German reporter¡¦s inquiry about the fact that ¡§ the Beijing government views Taiwan as a renegade province¡¨ in an interview by Deutch Welle radio station, President Lee specifically pointed out that the definition of cross-strait relationship is ¡§ at least a special state-to-state relationship.¡¨ President Lee¡¦s remarks clearly spelled out the reality that the ROC is a sovereign state and reflected the opinion of twenty-two million people in the democratic Taiwan. They also emphasize the fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are ruled separately on an equal and separate basis.

    President Lee¡¦s remarks of a ¡§special relationship¡¨ at this juncture are primarily to lay a foundation of parity between the two sides for elevating the level of dialogue and to facilitate the mechanisms of democracy and peace. Therefore, the top government officials at various levels have repeatedly declared that there is no change in our policy of promoting in cross-strait dialogue, implementing bilateral agreements including those reached at the Koo-Wang talks, and pursuing our stated goal of a future China unified under democracy, freedom, and prosperity. Any attempts to oversimplify President Lee¡¦s remarks as a ¡§two states theory¡¨ will not only distort its original meaning but also lead to misunderstanding and speculations.

    In the five decades since the PRC was established in 1949, China has been divided into two parts across the Taiwan Strait and ruled separately by two sovereign states. This has naturally resulted in a divided China characterized by a special relationship carry the strait. President Lee¡¦s remarks of a ¡§ special state-to-state relationship¡¨ carries the following meanings: First, the shared cultural and ethnic origins have cultivated a very unique affection between the two sides. Second, the intensifying cross-strait exchanges in civil, commercial, as well as other sectors are unparalleled when compared with other divided countries past or present. Third, and most importantly, both sides should have the common will to pursue a unified China in the future by engaging in negotiations on the basis of parity. 

    In 1992, the Straits Exchange Foundation reached a verbal consensus with its counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, on ¡§ One China with each side being entitled to its respective interpretation.¡¨ When our delegation met with the people concerned on the mainland last year, each side again made clear its respective stance, enabling the other side to realize that differences continue to exist. However, what was valuable was that both sides were still willing to seek common ground through dialogue and communication. Unfortunately, since then the PRC has been continuously expanding its ¡§ one China formula¡¨ to deny our existence and to suggest that China is already unified and the ROC is nothing but a local government. What we see as ¡§one China¡¨ is something for the future since China at the present is divided and ruled separately by two equal sovereign states in existence at the same time, hence a special state-to-state relationship. As President Lee pointed out on July 20 this year that ¡§one China¡¨ will be created only after a democratic unification across the Strait is realized. That each of the two sides presents a different interpretation of its position in consultations is merely necessary stage in the process of seeking common ground despite differences. President Jiang Zemin also has stated that ¡§ So long as both sides engage in negotiations based on parity, a mutually acceptable resolution will eventually be found.¡¨ As one side is allowed to express its position, it should also accept that the other side express its position as well. Neither should deny the existence of the other. Only through negotiations based on parity can they enjoy the full support of the people.

    The meeting I had with Mr. Wang Daohan in Singapore six years ago created a valuable new environment for progress in the cross-strait relationship. Again, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my most sincere welcome to Mr. Wang, because communication is more urgently needed especially when there are differences. Even a look around Taiwan by Mr. Wang will be helpful for improving mutual understanding. Mr. Wang¡¦s planned visit in autumn carries in itself a creative and historical significance as the cross-strait relationship will be entering into the next millennium. We believe that we can talk about any topics in the continuous open discussions with the PRC so as to find a clear and positive direction for the development of a healthy cross-strait relationship and thereby contribute to regional peace and stability.