STATE-TO-STATE TIES COULD BE A TOPIC OF CROSS-STRAIT DIALOGUE
Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) The special state-to-state ties between Taiwan and mainland China could be an issue on the agenda of dialogue between Taipei and Beijing rather than a barrier to such talks, a mainland China affairs official said on Tuesday.
Wu An-chia, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that Taipei would not respond to Beijing's assertions that it is still waiting for Taiwan to withdraw its claims that cross-Taiwan Strait ties are "a special state-to-state relationship."
Emerging from a meeting on mainland China affairs with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leaders, Wu told waiting reporters that Taipei has made its approach to Beijing very clear and there is no need for further explanation.
Wu was referring to reports that Beijing's Vice Premier Qian Qichen told a pro-reunification Taiwan group in Beijing on Monday that Beijing is waiting for Taipei to back down before going ahead with the planned Taiwan visit by Beijing's top negotiator Wang Daohan this autumn.
Although he said he could not comment without seeing the text of Qian's statement, Wu expressed the hope that Wang will visit as scheduled. Such a visit, he said, "would deepen his understanding of Taiwan, and he would even be able to challenge the state-to-state theory during his dialogue with his Taiwan counterpart Koo Chen-fu."
"Face-to-face talks are better than rhetoric and a war of words in terms of sorting out mutual differences," Wu went on.
Beijing which considers Taiwan a part of China, was enraged by Taipei's claims in July that Taipei-Beijing ties should be put on a state-to-state basis.
It demanded an explanation from Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Koo Chen-fu, only to return the written explanation unopened on July 30 as "unacceptable."
In his meeting with the leaders of the pro-independence DPP, Wu warned that political dialogue with Beijing is inevitable, and that local political parties should brace for the encounter by working out a united front.
Noting that Beijing is adhering to its policy of "peaceful reunification with Taiwan" and its "one Country, two systems" formula, Wu said it is obviously that Beijing will refrain from using force against Taiwan, provided the island does not outright declare independence.
To counter Beijing's attempts to annex Taiwan via political pressure, military intimidation, diplomatic isolation and economic integration, Wu said Taipei is pressing on with its economic development, improvement of democracy, consolidation of internal solidarity and strengthening of defense capability. (By Maubo Chang)
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