'ONE CHINA' CANNOT BE PRECONDITION FOR TALKS WITH MAINLAND: PREMIER
2004-05-29 13:38:44
Taipei, May 29 (CNA) "One China" is a topic that can be discussed in talks between Taiwan and mainland China, but cannot be a precondition for such talks, Premier Yu Shyi-kun said Saturday in Ilan City, eastern Taiwan.
Presiding over an informal discussion with Cabinet members in Ilan, Yu made the comment in response to journalists' questions about Beijing's claim that its chief negotiator in talks with Taiwan, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Wang Daohan, would accept an invitation to visit Taiwan only if Taiwan admits that there is only one China with Taiwan being but a part.
Yu said there are three steps in Taiwan's policy toward mainland China: showing goodwill toward Beijing, expanding exchanges with the mainland and seeking consensus among Taiwan people on approaches toward China.
The government has already displayed its goodwill toward Beijing when Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council Joseph Wu extended an invitation Thursday to Wang to visit Taiwan, Yu said.
The next step will be increasing exchanges with the mainland, especially via a meeting between Wang and his Taiwan counterpart, Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Koo Chen-fu.
The "one-China" issue could be discussed in the meeting between Koo and Wang, Yu said.
Yu said he believed Koo would like to visit mainland China to meet Wang if he is invited.
The political differences between Taiwan and the mainland should be sorted out through talks, Yu said. However, discussions on Taiwan's sovereignty are out of the question since this is an issue not negotiable in any talks with the mainland.
(By Maubo Chang)
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