Washington, April 9 (CNA): Republic of China President-elect Chen Shui-bian stressed Sunday that advocating the right to self-determination is different from advocating Taiwan's independence, and that Taiwan does not want conflict with mainland China, but cross-strait relations can only improve when both sides have goodwill and sincerity.
In an interview with Washington Post columnist Lally Weymouth in Taipei, Chen said "Of course we want to move in a direction of reconciliation and dialogue. We do not want conflict. But in cross-strait relations, we feel it is important to have goodwill and sincerity. Only then can relations improve. But goodwill and sincerity cannot be only one way."
As to the Democratic Progressive Party's long-standing pro-independence position, Chen told Weymouth that "We do advocate the right to self-determination, but that is not the same as advocating Taiwanese independence. Our platform says that Taiwan's independence must be decided by the people of Taiwan (in a referendum). But having the right to hold a referendum does not mean that one must immediately do so. As president-elect, I will not initiate a referendum on the independence-unification question. Unless China invades or uses force, we will not declare independence unilaterally."
As to the "one China" principle, the president-elect pointed out that "If the 'one China' principle is defined as Taiwan being a province or local government of the People's Republic of China, this is not acceptable to the vast majority of people in Taiwan. Nor can (China) expect Taiwan to become the second Hong Kong. How can they expect me, as president of this country, to accept Taiwan's demotion in status to a province?"
Chen added that "If the mainland insists that acceptance of 'one China' is a precondition, it will be hard to resume dialogue. We prefer to see it as an issue that can be discussed (in talks). We can discuss the definition of 'one China' and arrive at a consensus."
Chen said "We hope talks can start with no predetermined outcome and that both sides can respect each other on an equal basis. But if China does insist on a precondition and an ultimate outcome, then such talks would not appear equal."
Chen noted that whether he would like to visit mainland China "is not a matter of whether I want to go but whether the PRC has the goodwill to let me go. I would like to lead a delegation on a friendship visit to the PRC. I also sincerely want to invite China's leaders like President Jiang Zemin or Premier Zhu Rongji to come to Taiwan. And I have invited Mr. Wang Daohan (China's veteran cross-strait negotiator) to attend my inauguration. But according to newspaper reports, they are not interested in such an invitation."
As to Taiwan's relationship with the United States, Chen said there are three key areas for improving or consolidating: to continue upholding the universal values of democracy and freedom, to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and to continue to increase trade and commercial relations between the two countries.
"We feel that a democratic China will contribute to permanent peace in this region. Therefore, we support U.S. efforts to improve its relations with China. While we seek to normalize the cross-strait relationship -- especially in the area of business and trade -- we are happy to see the United States and China improve their economic relations. Therefore, I am willing to support the U.S. normalization of trade relations with the PRC. The improvement of U.S.-China relations is not necessarily harmful for Taiwan," said Chen.
He is convinced that Taiwan's military preparedness has improved significantly over the past few years, but there certainly is also room for improvement, especially in areas of professional training and ability to use modern or high-tech defense equipment. "We also need to improve U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation," stressed Chen.
When talking about the outgoing Kuomintang government's arms purchasing strategies, Chen said "We have only one national interest: The welfare of the people must not be endangered by a transition of government. And therefore, we have said that the (annual U.S.-Taiwan arms sales) talks scheduled for April should not be delayed simply because of a transition of government."
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