In his first interpellation at the Legislative Yuan, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
"We hope WTO will serve as a bridge for the two sides," and create a new link for improved communications, Chang said yesterday at the Legislative Yuan.
And while Chang sought to deal cross-strait relations a new hand, he actually outlined what Taiwan's businessmen have known for years: that a mutual interest in profit -- and not political ideology -- is the quickest path to improving the five-decade-old rivalry between the two sides.
Even China cannot deny the value of Taiwan's massive commercial injection of technological and management know-how as well as US$50 billion in investments. China is second only to the US as Taiwan's biggest market for investment and trade.
Therefore an improvement in cross-strait communications -- or for that matter any direct dialogue -- would spell positive for a region often tense with uncompromising Chinese rhetoric aimed at Taiwan.
On Monday China's State Council stirred up Taiwanese animosity by issuing its National Defense 2000 white paper which offered an extremely negative assessment of the state of relations across the Taiwan Strait, saying the situation has upset global stability.
But Chang avoided comment on the white paper instead using the occasion to call for Taiwan and China to "treat each other as equals when discussing trade."
Chang's desire for Taiwan to be treated as an equal has been echoed for some time by officials in Taipei who have for over a decade sought to get a fair shake in the WTO economic equation.
Taiwan is currently poised to join the WTO immediately following China's entry scheduled for early next year.
But Beijing authorities have consistently demonstrated they prefer to deal with Taiwan otherwise.
Twice over the past three months China has attempted to terminate Taiwan's right to enter the WTO as a separate entity, suggesting to the WTO accession working party that Taiwan be recognized by the trade body as a custom's area under China's control.
The proposal was immediately rejected on two separate occasions by US trade officials who used the opportunity to scold Beijing for attempting to interject politics into an issue purely about trade
But Taiwan still has its own WTO agenda to sort out if it is to match its own timetable for entry.
Chang, who as premier will act as the bridge to Taiwan's legislature, faces a myriad of complex WTO legal hurdles that he must get through the often uncooperative KMT-held legislature.
Meanwhile, in a move signaling that the WTO thaw has already begun, Taiwan's top trade official is expected to arrive in China today to address a seminar on pre-WTO entry issues.
Board of Foreign Trade (BOFT,
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