Republic of China (R.O.C.) President Lee Teng-hui stated in a July 9, 1999, interview with a German radio station that relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should be characterized as a "special state-to-state relationship."
In a meeting on July 12 with Mr. Darryl N. Johnson, the outgoing director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan, President Lee clarified this by stating that, "In fact, our mainland policy remains unchanged." He explained that his definition is based on historical, legal, and practical viewpoints, adding that he is convinced that a more detailed and unequivocal definition will be conducive to the development of cross-strait relations in the long run.
In response to world interest in this explanation of the relationship between the Republic of China on Taiwan and the People's Republic of China on the mainland, the R.O.C. government has made further elaborations in recent days. The R.O.C. Mainland Affairs Council (M.A.C.) has pointed out the "three-fold significance" of President Lee's declaration-it is pragmatic, consistent, and innovative.
First, it recognizes that Beijing has never exercised sovereignty over the Taiwan area. President Lee referred in the interview to the "impasse in cross-strait relations because the Beijing authorities ignore the very fact that the two sides are two different jurisdictions." The fact is that the Republic of China has been in existence as a sovereign state since 1912. Today, the R.O.C., Asia's first republic, also has achieved the first full democracy in the history of the Chinese community, with all offices from the president to local level being filled by popular elections.
As R.O.C. Premier Vincent Siew has stated, "Over the years, we have been promoting a peaceful, equal, reciprocal, and constructive relationship with the Chinese mainland, in a spirit of goodwill and through concrete actions. However, Beijing has made no reciprocal favorable response. Instead, it has constantly continued to extend its own version of the 'one-China principle' and the 'one country, two systems' formula in order to suppress us in the international community, deliberately suspended the institutionalized consultations between the two sides, and thereby obstructed the normalization of cross-strait relations."
Second, according to the M.A.C. analysis, "the declaration represents a continuity of policy," which was confirmed by President Lee in his talk with Mr. Johnson. The R.O.C. position that cross-strait relations are state-to-state was in fact presented to the mainland counterpart at the meeting of the two sides' nongovernmental exchange organizations in Singapore in April 1993. Over the past decade, the Republic of China has undertaken pragmatic policies with this political and legal reality in mind. In 1991, the R.O.C. officially terminated its state of hostilities with the mainland, and in amendments to the constitution in the same year the area under the R.O.C. government's jurisdiction was limited to Taiwan and the other areas under its actual control. Since then, full democratization has meant that the will of the people in Taiwan is expressed through direct representation at all levels, including the presidency.
Premier Siew has stated that, "Our policy of promoting constructive dialogue and positive exchanges remains unchanged; our resolve to pursue a win-win situation in cross-strait relations remains unchanged; and our goal for a peaceful, democratic, and united new China in the future remains unchanged."
Third, President Lee has made room for innovation in cross-strait relations. In the words of Dr. Su Chi, Mainland Affairs Council chairman, there will be, "unlimited room with regard to the topics that may be raised," even including "the political issues that Beijing has demanded for so long." Premier Siew also calls the President's statement "forward-looking and constructive." He notes that, "On the basis of parity, the talks between Koo Chen-fu and Wang Daohan, scheduled for this autumn will be an opportunity for in-depth dialogue."
Ultimately, if Beijing can accept this clarification of cross-Taiwan Strait ties, there will be more space for positive interactions between the two sides. Since the R.O.C.'s 1991 declaration of the end of its state of hostilities, the Republic of China has been trying to bring about a peaceful resolution of the stand off. The President's statement should not be misconstrued as signaling a change in the desire to achieve peaceful, democratic reunification. On the contrary, it is hoped that by bringing the discussion back to reality, as does the statement by President Lee, this cause will be better served.
In order to create an "equal and normalized cross-strait relationship," in the words of the Mainland Affairs Council, the R.O.C. "calls 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."
