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President Ma presents his vision in WSJ Asia article

ROC Central News Agency

2009/12/14 23:12:29

By Lillian Lin

Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou told the Wall Street Journal Asia that military means is one of the means his government will use to defend Taiwan, but it will also depend on the country's soft power to engage China.

In an interview with WSJ Asia editorial writer Leslie Hook in November at the Presidential Office, Ma described what his administration has achieved over the past months in reducing tension in the Taiwan Strait.

He mentioned direct flights between Beijing and Taipei, direct postal links and cargo shipments, Taiwan's opening to mainland tourists, and agreements on fishing crews, industrial certification standards, agricultural standards, and avoiding double taxation that are expected to be signed in Taichung in late December.

"We'll continue the current state of affairs, easing tension across the Taiwan Strait, and trying to forge a closer relationship in economic and other fields," Ma added.

Arguing that "Taiwan might be left in the cold and marginalized" as the pace of regional economic integration continues to increase, the president insisted that Taiwan needed to urgently open its economy to China and systemize trade through an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).

Describing Chinese tourists who visit Taiwan as a central part of his vision, Ma said "they are very impressed by the society... a society where individuals respect each other's rights and privacy, and the right to freedom of speech....they also admire some of our democratic institutions." The story also noted that Ma emphasized that his diplomacy is built around the "three no's" -- no unification during his term in office, no pursuit of de jure independence, and no use of force to resolve differences across the strait.

Referring to the idea of unification, Ma was quoted as saying that "both sides have a lot to learn about each other." "Conditions for unification are not ripe, " and "we don't even know each other that well,"the president maintained.