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'Diplomatic truce' with China not immediate priority: FM

ROC Central News Agency

2008-06-02 20:41:53

    Taipei, June 2 (CNA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco H.L. Ou said Monday that discussions between Taipei and Beijing on a "diplomatic truce" will have to wait until there is positive interaction on economic and trade issues, but he suggested that Taiwan would no longer engage in a diplomatic tug-of-war with China.

    Ou said President Ma Ying-jeou's proposed diplomatic truce hoped to transcend the "number-of-allies myth" -- the idea that the higher the number of Taiwan's allies, the better -- and that the country would focus on cementing the alliances it already has. "Fighting for new diplomatic allies will not be our top priority in the future," said Ou in his first informal meeting with members of the media Monday.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will instead use its resources to consolidate relations with Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies, a decision Ou said was well-received by several top officials of the nation's allies.

    But he acknowledged that Beijing might not accommodate Taiwan's new approach. "A diplomatic truce cannot be achieved unilaterally but requires the same willingness from the opposite side." he said.

    The 68-year-old minister said Taiwan has felt the good will sent by President Hu Jintao, who said recently that Taiwan's international space can be considered and discussed.

    He believed, however, that a diplomatic truce should be talked about in a second stage after positive interaction has been achieved on bilateral economic and trade issues.

    Ou said he actually preferred the term "diplomatic coexistence" rather than "diplomatic truce" as the word "truce" carries with it the smell of gun smoke. "Diplomatic co-existence is better as it seems more peaceful, " he said. "With co-existence we can mutual prosper and together pursue a win-win situation."

    China has repeatedly stolen away Taiwan's allies with massive financial incentives, both to embarrass Taiwan and marginalize it in the international community.

    The most recent example was the southeastern African country of Malawi, which was reportedly lured to switch allegiance to Beijing last December by a US$6 billion financial assistance package.

    Also quizzed by reporters on what the best name to use would be when describing China, Ou responded "mainland China, " saying it best represented the status quo. "The status quo is that we are the Republic of China. If we call the other side the People's Republic of China, that would mean one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait," Ou said, referring to the formula used to describe cross-strait relations by the previous Chen Shui-bian administration.

    Ties between China and Taiwan remained chilly during Chen's term in office because of such language asserting that Taiwan is a sovereign country independent from the PRC.

    Ou said in the same news conference that in line with President Ma's idea of "modus vivendi," "dignity, pragmatism, agile and flexible" will be adopted as the principles of the new administration's foreign diplomacy.

(By Rachel Chan)

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