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MAC CHIEF CALLS FOR RESUMPTION OF CROSS-STRAIT TALKS

2004-03-18 21:26:00

    Taipei, March 18 (CNA) Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen called on Beijing Thursday to resume the long-stalled talks between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait after the March 20 presidential election.

    Tsai made the appeal during a meeting with a group of foreign reporters visiting Taiwan to cover the election and the accompanying referendum -- the country's first.

    The top planner of Taiwan's policies toward mainland China said she is very happy to see so many overseas reporters in Taiwan to observe the voting and witness the deepening of the nation's democracy.

    Noting that Taiwan is a peace-loving country, Tsai said that the government and people are determined to safeguard the hard-earned fruits of the nation's democratization and are willing to help uphold stability and security in the Asia-Pacific area.

    She voiced the hope that the Beijing authorities will pragmatically face the deepening of the island's democracy and accept a proposal for the establishment of a mechanism to promote long-term peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

    Asked whether she seconds statements by several foreign experts on China issues that the current situation in the Taiwan Strait is "extremely dangerous, " Tsai said that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) -led government is fully aware of the possible consequences of a cross-strait military confrontation, so its policies toward the mainland are very pragmatic.

    In addition, she pointed out, the DPP administration has always evaluated the possibility of military confrontations and is sufficiently prepared to deal with any contingencies.

    Claiming that cross-strait relations are not "extremely dangerous" but "extremely complicated and thorny, " Tsai said she is sure that no matter who is elected president, he must face the challenge of maintaining cross-strait stability.

    In response to a press query as to whether President Chen Shui-bian will accept the "one China" principle if he is re-elected, Tsai said the president declared in 2000 that his administration was willing to hold talks with Beijing on the issue of a future "one China." She added that Chen's stance has not changed.

    As for Beijing's demand that the Taipei authorities must accept the "one China" principle before cross-strait talks are resumed, Tsai urged the mainland leadership to think twice and adopt a pragmatic strategy to improve bilateral relations after the election.

    She also reiterated that Taiwan is willing to hold talks with Beijing on any issues under the basic principle of national dignity and sovereignty.

(By Luis Huang)

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