Ma continues to define China as "mainland area"
ROC Central News Agency
2008-04-04 21:22:10
Taipei, April 4 (CNA) Taiwan's president-elect Ma Ying-jeou reiterated Friday his "mutual non-denial" position in dealing with Beijing and said China will continue to be defined as the "mainland area" in the law governing relations across the Taiwan Strait.
In an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency in which he outlined his stance toward China, Ma indicated that at present, "mutual recognition (between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait) is not possible, while mutual denial is unnecessary. Therefore only mutual non-denial can provide space for interaction."
He said that China once refused to face the reality of Taiwan's existence but now only emphasized its objection to Taiwan's "de jure independence, " a clear indication that Taiwan and China can find a way to co-exist peacefully.
According to Ma, mutual non-denial implies that "we will not deny their (China's) existence but we cannot recognize their sovereignty."
With the Kuomintang-supported Ma emerging victorious in the March 22 presidential election, a sea change in Taiwan's China policy and cross-strait relationship appears imminent.
Ma publicly announced during and after the election campaign that he would launch regular weekend charter flights, open Taiwan to Chinese tourists, relax restrictions on investment in China, and negotiate the three direct links, a more open approach to ties with Beijing that marks a reversal of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP's) policy over the past eight years.
To cope with the new situation, Ma admitted that "the Act Governing Relations between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area" will have to be amended, but stressed that under the framework of the Constitution of the Republic of China, "China can not be addressed as the People's Republic of China."
Although critics have argued that Ma has oversimplified complex cross-strait issues and made comments that were not well thought out, the president-elect said he was fully aware that nothing could be accomplished in a single step.
Ma stressed he would exert great caution in pursuing ties with China and favored a gradual approach, but he also emphasized that issues like weekend charter flights had been sufficiently discussed in past years but were simply not acted on by the DPP government.
Noting that China is only part of the KMT's "global-linkage" strategy, Ma contended that the DPP totally ignored the importance of China and took a hands-off position instead. "The fundamental difference between Ma and the current government will be to face issues pragmatically, rather than putting them off or facing them blindly, which is key," he said.
To normalize economic relations with China, the optimistic Ma said he would look to sign agreements on protecting investments by Taiwanese businesses in China and avoiding double taxation, which he did not feel would encounter any resistance.
Ma also defended his support for recognizing diplomas issued by Chinese universities in Taiwan, which critics have said would cost local residents job opportunities at home.
He said he supported the policy to facilitate exchanges of students and professors rather than to enable them to acquire professional licenses in Taiwan.
Asked if he would mention the "1992 Consensus, " in which the KMT says Taiwan and China acknowledged "one China" but with different interpretations, in his May 20 inauguration address, Ma said only that the speech is being drafted and would not elaborate.
As for plans for him to visit the U.S. before May 20 and for the U.S. to send a special envoy to his inauguration, Ma said no decision has been made on either issue.
(By Neil Lu)
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