Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Tsai Ying-wen said on Tuesday that the newly-inaugurated administration of President Chen Shui-bian will not mention the "two states" theory again.
According to Tsai, the "two states" theory was a very good proposal, but has provoked serious misunderstanding from mainland China ever since outgoing President Lee Teng-hui aired the "two states" theory to describe the existing relationship between Taiwan and mainland China in a July 1999 interview with German media.
Tsai, the major architect of Lee's controversial "two states" theory and now head of the Republic of China's highest government agency dealing with Taiwan's policy toward mainland China, said the "two states" theory was put forth in an effort to seek equal footing for Taiwan in its dealings with the mainland both at home and in the international community.
Tsai made the remarks while answering questions from a group of more than 80 foreign reporters during an hour-long visit to the MAC. The foreign journalists came to Taiwan to cover Chen's inauguration as the ROC's 10th president on Saturday.
The new MAC chief said Chen has already dealt with the "two states" theory once in his inaugural speech.
Chen in his speech claimed that Taiwan will not declare independence, will not change the national title, will not push for the inclusion of the "state-to-state" description in the Constitution, and will not promote a referendum to change Taiwan's status-quo in regards to the independence-unification issue, as long as Beijing has no intention of using military force against Taiwan.
In response to Chen's address, Beijing issued a statement later the same day hinting at compromise on the "one China" dispute.
Beijing said, "The Taiwan authorities make a clear-cut commitment that they will not advocate the 'two states' theory and that they will adhere to the consensus reached between the ARATS and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation in 1992 that the two sides will express in their own way orally that both sides across the straits stick to the 'one China' principle."
Regarding Beijing's insistence on the "one China" principle and the "one China, separate interpretations" framework upheld by the outgoing Kuomintang government, Tsai said the "one China" dispute is a highly complicated issue.
The key to resolving the problem is for the two sides to sit down and talk through their differences based on mutual trust, she asserted.
When asked about her ethnic identification, Tsai said she will not hesitate to reply that "I am Chinese" in her personal capacity as a college professor. But in her capacity as MAC chief, she said she does not want the question to be associated with any political meaning. (By Flor Wang)
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