Subjects:
MAC¡¦s Response to the PRC¡¦s White Paper; ¡§one China¡¨: respective
interpretations; Business Leaders¡¦ Visits to Mainland China.
MAC Vice Chairman Chong-Pin
Lin
at the
February 25, 2000 Press Conference
His
Report:
MAC Chairman Su Chi will formally respond to the PRC¡¦s White
Paper, ¡§One-China Principle and the Taiwan Issue,¡¨ at 4 p.m. today.
Questions
and Answers:
Beijing
Should Be Open-minded Toward Taiwan
Q. Can you reveal the
main points of the Chairman¡¦s statement?
A. In the post-Cold War era, an increasing
number of disputes around the world have been resolved through talks and
negotiations. As the world is a global village, the slightest move in
one part may affect the entire situation, and economies have shown
greater interdependence. Therefore, any move detrimental to others may
backfire, and violence is increasingly useless. The PRC¡¦s military
threats against Taiwan will only jeopardize regional peace and stability
and push Taiwan people further away from the Mainland. Beijing leaders
should ask themselves: do they want unification of only the land, or
together with the Taiwan people? We hope that Beijing will not be afraid
of the tide of democracy, have confidence in the Mainland¡¦s political
and economic reforms, and have an open mind in handling cross-strait
relations.
We
Never Retreat From Our Basic Position
Q. Chen Shui-bian,
presidential candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and
his camp questioned MAC for repeating that ¡§one China should be
subject to interpreted respectively by each side¡¨ as a betrayal of
President Lee Teng-hui¡¦s statement on the ¡§special state-to-state
relationship.¡¨ Does this mean that the government¡¦s Mainland policy
will take a step back?
A. The president
introduced the ¡§special state-to-state relationship¡¨ on July 9 last
year. Three days later, Chairman Su gave a press conference. However, in
the story by the United Daily News reporter Ho Ming-kuo, Su was quoted
as saying that ¡§the government will no longer mention the ¡¥one
China¡¦ policy as in Beijing's version.¡¨ But the headline of the
story said, ¡§The government will no longer mention ¡¥one China¡¦.¡¨
Consequently, Taiwan people as well as foreigners have been mistaken
that the government has departing from the ¡§one China¡¨ concept.
Simply having its own view on ¡§one China,¡¨ the ROC government has
not betray the principle of ¡§one China¡¨ or reject that ¡§one China
should be subject to interpreted respectively by each side.¡¨ The
agreement reached in November 1992 appeared in the People¡¦s Daily (of
the PRC) on Nov. 6, 1992, which clearly printed that ¡§the two sides
reached a consensus that "one China should be subject to
interpreted respectively by each side.¡¦¡¨ Based on this, both sides
have had many meetings and negotiations and, most importantly, the Koo-Wang
Talks in Singapore in April 1993. The ROC government has never betrayed
the scope of ¡§one China should be subject to interpreted respectively
by each side.¡¨ However, Beijing has set aside this agreement in three
steps. First, it restricted the agreement for only cross-strait
relations, not foreign affairs. Second, the agreement, at the PRC¡¦s
insistence, should be limited to cross-strait practical issues, not
political talks. Third, the PRC categorically denied the agreement.
Q. If the media misunderstood Su at that time,
why did MAC not clarify immediately? Were you trying to create an
ambiguous space as well?
A. I think the media are too busy to handle
every news report in detail. We might have to learn from each other in
the future. Under democracy, there are certain rules of the game.
Taiwan¡¦s democracy is still nascent; I hope democracy can have its
full-fledge play in the future.
"Special
State-to-State Relationship" Has Triple Meanings ¡GFor
the Past, the Present and the Future
Q. Is ¡§one China should be subject to
interpreted respectively by each side¡¨ more or less equivalent to
Lee¡¦s ¡§special state-to-state relationship?¡¨
A. ¡§One China should
be subject to interpreted respectively by each side¡¨ means that
Beijing is entitled to have its own interpretation (on one China), and
so can we. The ROC government¡¦s interpretation of ¡§one China¡¨ is
¡§special state-to-state relationship.¡¨ The word ¡§special¡¨
carries three meanings: the past, the present, and the future. For the
past, the two sides share the same historic and cultural origins, so the
two harbor ¡§special¡¨ feelings. For the present, there are unusual
cross-strait economic and social exchanges (increasing correspondences,
telephone calls, visits, trade, and investment). For the future, both
sides share the same hope for unification. The ROC government hopes that
unification can be achieved under democracy, liberty, and equal
prosperity.
Q. Should the USS Kitty
Hawk pass through the Taiwan Straits, the PRC is expected to react
strongly. What is the government¡¦s view?
A. This should be
explained by the Ministry of National Defense (MOND) and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MOFA). MAC respects these two government agencies in
their respective authorities.
Beijing
Has Betrayed the "Respective Interpretation" Consensus
Q. Did Beijing deny the
agreement that ¡§ one China should be subject to interpreted
respectively by each side¡¨ due to the introduction of the ¡§special
state-to-state relationship?¡¨
A. Beijing had departed
from that ¡§one China should be subject to interpreted respectively by
each side¡¨ before July 9 last year. Its departure in three steps took
place long before then. That is why the ROC government considers it
imperative to make a clarification. The president¡¦s introduction of
the ¡§special state-to-state relationship¡¨ last year was against
Beijing¡¦s departure from that ¡§one China should be subject to
interpreted respectively by each side.¡¨ In 1991, our government
renounced the use of force against the PRC and treated both sides as
political entities in a friendly gesture. However, Beijing has not
renounced the use of force against Taiwan, but made it clear that the
PRC is obviously a sovereign state and Taiwan, only a political entity
with an ambiguous status. So, when the two parties are moving to sit
across the negotiation table, one is an obvious sovereign state and the
other is a political entity with ambiguous status, the latter could be
annexed. So, the government decided last year to clearly state its
principles on cross-strait relations and ¡§one China.¡¨
Q. The PRC accused
Taiwan of having departed from that ¡§one China should be subject to
interpreted respectively by each side¡¨ since Lee¡¦s visit to the
United States (in 1995). When did Beijing start to depart from the
consensus?
A. Detailed information
will be compiled by my colleagues and furnished to you later.
"Patience
without Haste" Policy Can Adjusted, If Beijing Shows Goodwill
Q. (Formosa Plastics
Corp. Chairman) Wang Yung-ching may inspect his ¡§Haicang Project¡¨
(in Fujian) during his Mainland trip. Also, Kao Chin-yen, chairman of
Chinese National Federation of Industries, will visit Mainland China
after the presidential election. Are these Mainland trips by Taiwan¡¦s
business leaders an indication of the government¡¦s future relaxation
of the Mainland policy? What is MAC¡¦s position on their Mainland
visits?
A. When the president
introduced the policy ¡§no haste, be patient; advance steadfastly to
reach far,¡¨ the policy was not ¡§inscribed on granite¡¨ but could
change as situation dictates, especially when the PRC expresses
goodwill. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Wang¡¦s
Mainland visit will focus on Chinese medical research sectors with a
hope to introduce the Mainland¡¦s medical and biological technology to
his Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. His trip aims at promoting
cross-strait exchanges on Chinese medicine, not at doing investment.
Should Formosa Plastics desire to invest in Mainland China on herb
cultivation or plastics manufacturing, it must adhere to the
government¡¦s policy and regulations. High-level officials at Formosa
Plastics were said to tell MOEA and the Council for Economic Planning
and Development (CEPD) that Wang¡¦s Mainland trip at the time of the
presidential election is a pure coincidence without any political
implication.
As for Mr. Kao¡¦s plan to lead a delegation to visit Mainland
China after the presidential election, MAC has two positions as follows.
First, the federation always has close cooperation with the government,
so certainly it will give thorough consideration to its Mainland visit.
Second, it has played an important role as a bridge between the
government and business community. In choosing the timing of its
Mainland trip, the federation is believed to have taken into close
consideration national interests and dignity.
The
MAC
News Briefing is an English transcript of the weekly news
conference held by the Mainland Affairs Council. We try our best to
provide an accurate English translation. In case of discrepancy, the
Chinese text rules.
¡@
NEWSLETTER
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