President pledges to uphold Constitution in promoting ties with China
ROC Central News Agency
Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou pledged Wednesday to abide by the Constitution and the "1992 consensus" on the "one China, separate interpretation" issue in promoting relations with China and other countries.
Ma said that while his administration believes improved Taiwan-China relations will help remove many of the barriers the country faces in trying to expand its international participation, the government will not harbor any unrealistic thoughts and will deal with the situation very carefully.
During an interview with Radio Taiwan International, Ma pointed to ruling Kuomintang Honorary Chairman Lien Chan's recent attendance as the president's envoy at the 2008 informal leaders summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum as a successful experience.
Lien, who is also a former Republic of China vice president, was the most prominent figure to be appointed Taiwan's presidential envoy to APEC and was able to take part in the event on an equal footing with other APEC leaders, Ma said.
The president said he was deeply moved by Lien's inclusion because Taiwan has long aspired to have a voice in the international arena, and for the first time, Taiwan "has made it at APEC."
"If we deal with cross-strait relations properly, our space in this aspect will probably increase as well," Ma said.
Ma said he believes Taiwan and China should not only reconcile across the Taiwan Strait but also in the international community, as international participation is an area in which Taiwan's people can find dignity.
According to Ma, besides the progress at APEC, Taiwan's stable relations with its diplomatic allies over the past six months have also been due to the government's efforts to improve cross-strait relations.
Looking ahead, the government hopes to achieve greater progress in promoting Taiwan's bid to participate in the World Health Assembly and will discuss the issue with China during future cross-strait talks, he said.
On the next round of cross-strait talks -- likely to take place in the first half of next year, the president said the government will prioritize long-delayed economic issues such as the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in financial supervision and regulations, cooperation on fighting crime and the signing of an investment protection pact.
Responding to allegations by opposition Democratic Progressive Party politicians that his administration has been promoting relations with China at the expense of Taiwan's sovereignty, Ma challenged the accusers to specify in what way the six cross-strait agreements signed over the past several months have undermined Taiwan's sovereignty or dignity.
The ROC's status as a sovereign state has not been changed, nor has his status as ROC president, Ma noted.
The "1992 consensus" that allows Taipei and Beijing to agree to disagree on the meaning of "one China" -- based on which cross-strait dialogue was resumed -- does not involve a sacrifice of the country's sovereignty, either, because the ROC Constitution was established under a "one China (Republic of China)" framework, he argued.
According to Ma, Taiwan's efforts to improve ties with China have won the support of the international community and have helped Taiwan shed its image as a "troublemaker."
On Taiwan's relations with the United States, Ma said his administration will continue to work to rebuild mutual trust between the two sides.
He added that the recovery of Taiwan-U.S. trust over the past six months has allowed the two sides to deal with each other in a more friendly manner than before, which is evident in the progress on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. (By Y.F. Low) ENDITEM/J
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