By Sofia Wu CNA Staff Reporter
Taipei, June 13 (CNA) The two sides of the Taiwan Strait should craft a new framework for bilateral relations, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen said in a recent interview with CNA.
"We hope to negotiate a brave new framework for engagement with mainland China," the Republic of China's new top mainland policy planner expounded.
In her view, Tsai said, President Chen Shui-bian's call in his widely watched May 20 inaugural speech that the two sides of the strait jointly deal with the question of a future "one China" means that Taiwan and mainland China should pool their wisdom to work out a new structure for constructive interaction.
The sophisticated but self-effacing legal expert further said she does not think that the future of cross-strait relations should still be restricted to just three options -- unification, independence or the status quo.
In the face of the changing world situation and the arrival of the new millennium, Tsai said the two sides of the strait need to use new thinking to sketch out a new framework for sustainable peaceful engagement. And the new framework must allow either side to decide its own affairs, she added.
Noting that "unification" and "independence" are not necessarily completely incompatible in defining cross-strait relations, Tsai said the anticipated co-existence framework should be flexible enough to accommodate the demands of both pro-unification and pro-independence members of the general public.
According to Tsai, precisely defining unification and independence is no easy task. "There is only a razor-thin line between them," she explained, adding that if either side of the Taiwan Strait insists on a rigid, clear-cut definition of their relationship, there will be no room left for flexibility or "breathing space."
Tsai said that since Taiwan and mainland China have been separated for more than five decades, they need room, flexibility, tolerance and patience to forge goodwill and consensus for resolving thorny bilateral disputes.
"I'm hopeful that our two sides can forsake old-fashioned logic and use novel thinking to formulate a new framework or formula for peaceful co-existence and co-prosperity," said the soft-spoken policy planner.
Tsai came into the public limelight only after she assumed the top MAC post under Chen's administration. But in fact, the former international trade law professor at National Chengchi University is no stranger to cross-strait affairs.
She was a commissioner of the Cabinet-level Fair Trade Commission and an adviser to the National Security Council during the Kuomintang government era.
In the past, she often represented Taiwan at meetings of major international trade bodies, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its precursor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Tsai was noted for her sharp mind, delicate sensibility, eloquence and composed manner in negotiations for Taiwan's membership or interests in those multilateral trade organizations.
With her rich experience in international negotiation and debate, Tsai was selected as a member of a delegation headed by Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Koo Chen-fu, Taiwan's top negotiator with Beijing, which embarked on an ice-breaking visit to mainland China in October 1998.
Tsai took part in Koo's two rounds of meetings in Shanghai with his mainland counterpart Wang Daohan, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). She was also present at Koo's meetings in Beijing with mainland China's leading officials in charge of Taiwan-related affairs, including President Jiang Zemin, Vice Premier Qian Qichen and ARATS Vice President Tang Shubei.
Moreover, Tsai is believed to be the chief architect of the controversial "two states" or "special state-to-state relationship" theory unveiled by former ROC President Lee Teng-hui last July.
Beijing accused Lee of promoting Taiwan independence by defining cross-strait ties as a "special state-to-state relationship" and angrily announced an indefinite postponement of a planned reciprocal visit to Taiwan by Wang, which was originally scheduled for the autumn of 1999.
Tsai said in the CNA interview that the "special state-to-state" definition faithfully depicts an existing political reality and should not be interpreted as a move to promote Taiwan independence.
"What I want to stress is that the `special state-to-state' relationship' theory is largely compatible with Beijing's cherished `one China' principle," Tsai said.
Nevertheless, she said that as the theory has been "seriously misunderstood," the new ROC government has decided not to mention it again.
"The decision is a goodwill gesture toward Beijing," Tsai said, adding that the MAC is willing to take any measures conducive to confidence-building between the two sides.
Asked about the dispute over Beijing's so-called "1992 consensus on the `one China' principle," Tsai said the SEF and ARATS indeed discussed the issue in 1992, but failed to reach a consensus on the definition of "one China."
"As a result, the discussion ended in disarray, with each side insisting on its own interpretation of `one China,'" Tsai emphasized, adding that the ROC cannot accept Beijing's latest explanation of the so-called 1992 consensus on the "one China" principle.
Beijing said in a 2,000-word comment on Chen's inaugural speech that it would be willing to resume cross-strait dialogue if Taipei were to abide by the "1992 consensus."
According to Beijing, the "1992 consensus" means that both sides insist on the "one China" principle -- there is only one China of which Taiwan is an inalienable part.
"As Beijing has consistently claimed that `one China' refers to the People's Republic of China, we were unlikely to have agreed to this principle," Tsai stressed.
In fact, Tsai said Beijing itself has many times changed its stance on whether the two sides reached a consensus in their 1992 discussion.
"Beijing denied in 1996 and 1998 the existence of the so-called 1992 consensus, but now it insists that there is what it calls `consensus,'" Tsai said, adding that if Beijing's latest claim were correct, it would not have bothered to deny the consensus' existence in 1996 and 1998.
Asked how the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can break their current logjam, Tsai said the ball is now in Beijing's court, as Chen already did his utmost to show goodwill and sincerity toward mainland China in his inaugural address.
Tsai further said the new ROC government attaches great importance to the interaction and long-term relationship between SEF Chairman Koo and ARATS President Wang.
"I believe that the two elder statesmen are the persons most likely to develop the good chemistry needed to reach a consensus on sensitive cross-strait issues," Tsai said, adding that cross-strait relations still must rely on the efforts of the two men, at least for the foreseeable future.
Tsai said she believes both Koo and Wang hope to meet again to complete their historic mission of helping achieve a breakthrough in deadlocked cross-strait relations.
Against this backdrop, Tsai said the two sides should make concerted efforts to pave the way for a new round of Koo-Wang talks to rejuvenate the cross-strait dialogue channel for sustainable constructive interaction.
"We have never stopped preparations for Wang's visit, and Koo has also expressed his willingness to travel to the mainland again to meet with Wang if necessary," Tsai said.
Touching on the WTO issue, she noted that both Taipei and Beijing are expected to join the Geneva-based world trade regulatory body in the fourth quarter of this year.
Tsai said she does not think Beijing will boycott Taiwan's WTO accession because "essentially simultaneous entry" by both sides of the Taiwan Strait is an international consensus and a condition for the United States to grant permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to mainland China.
"Moreover, a boycott by mainland China would certainly cause a regression in cross-strait relations, a development that the Beijing leaders would not like to see," Tsai said.
As for the opening of direct "three links" with the mainland, she said the MAC is studying the feasibility and possible impact of opening direct cross-strait trade, mail and transportation links.
Tsai said the MAC will give priority to considering the opening of direct cross-strait pilgrimages to meet the demand of local followers of Matsu, the Chinese Goddess of the Sea.
Meanwhile, she said, the MAC is scheduled to complete a comprehensive evaluation of the feasibility and possible impact on Taiwan's national security of the proposed opening of direct trade, mail and transportation links between Taiwan's outlying islands and mainland China's coastal cities, commonly known as direct "mini three links," within six months.
According to a bill passed by the Legislative Yuan earlier this year, the government can legalize direct "mini three links" before the opening of overall direct cross-strait three links to help boost the economic development of such outlying islands as Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu.
Tsai said national security is the top concern in preparing for opening either direct pilgrimages or "mini three links." Moreover, she added, resumption of cross-strait dialogue is needed because Taiwan can unilaterally open neither direct "mini three links" nor direct religious voyages.
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