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TAIWAN STRIVING TO MAINTAIN STATUS QUO: MINISTER

ROC Central News Agency

2006-10-23 14:42:44

    Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) The government and people of the Republic of China on Taiwan are concerned about the gradual tilting of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait in China's favor, Foreign Affairs Minister James Huang said in a recent interview with Voice of America.

    Some political pundits have blamed the Democratic Progressive Party administration for promoting Taiwan independence in a gradual manner. But Huang said in the interview with the U.S.-based multimedia broadcasting service during his visit to San Francisco last Friday that such blame is "unfair and deviates from truth."

    Huang said Taiwan need not pursue "another form of independence" nor declare independence since it has been an independent sovereign state officially referred to as the Republic of China. Contrary to the criticism, he argued, what the ROC government and people are most concerned about is the gradual tilting toward "unification with China."

    Following China's rise as an economic power, Huang said, it has stepped up "united front" tactics against Taiwan by boosting interaction with Taiwan's opposition parties and the private sector. The ever-growing cross-strait trade and China-bound investment by Taiwanese enterprises have made it increasingly difficult to maintain the current cross-strait status quo, Huang said.

    As China remains hostile toward Taiwan, declines to renounce the option of the use of force against Taiwan, and has 800 ballistic missiles deployed along its southeastern coast opposite Taiwan, Huang said, the ROC government "must defend Taiwan's own national identity and protect its status quo as a liberal democracy from being wrecked."

    Huang further said Taiwan's distinct national identity has not been deliberately nurtured by its government, but has rather evolved naturally on the island over the past five decades. "The people of Taiwan have gotten accustomed to the natural environment and atmosphere of their homeland," he noted.

    Asked what Taiwan should do to mitigate cross-strait tension, Huang said it has been Taiwan's policy goal to chart a stable framework for peaceful interaction with China.

    President Chen Shui-bian has on numerous occasions called for the creation of such an interaction framework, Huang said, adding that much to Taiwan's regret, Beijing has consistently turned a deaf ear to the appeal and has failed to make any response. "Improving cross-strait ties cannot depend solely on Taiwan's unilateral efforts as it takes two to tango," he added.

    As to Taiwan's constitutional re-engineering plan, Huang said the government's stance is crystal clear, namely that any amendment proposals should be based on the cardinal premise of no fundamental change to the present status quo.

    Although some individual politicians and political parties have expressed differing opinions about the constitutional reform, none of those proposals should be interpreted as reflecting the government's stance, Huang said, adding that the ROC government should not be labeled as a "troublemaker" simply because of ideas put forward by some radical activists.

(By Wu Jih-chun and Sofia Wu)

enditem/Li