President Chen Shui-bian's (
Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), the convener of Chen's newly formed economic advisory panel who once served as premier during the Kuomintang administration prior to 2000, made the remark in an interview.
Siew noted that cross-strait relations are critical to Taiwan's medium and long-term economic development.
According to Siew, Taiwan should endeavor to thrive on the vast Chinese market and never allow the "one China" controversy hold up bilateral economic exchanges.
"Taiwan cannot afford to ignore the immense [Chinese] market while seeking to become either an Asia-Pacific regional operation hub or a global resourcing center," Siew said.
Siew added that closer cross-strait trade and economic ties will certainly benefit Taiwan in the long run.
Despite its opposition to Beijing's "one China" principle, which downgrades Taiwan to the level of a province under the People's Republic of China, Siew went on, Taiwan need not drag its feet on this issue.
Trade issues are related to markets, not politics, Siew said, adding that the "one China" dispute should be shelved while dealing with cross-strait trade and economic problems.
As to the opening of direct cross-strait transportation links, Siew said now is not a good time to push for such an initiative.
In his view, Siew continued, the establishment of direct shipping and air links involve the exercise of public authority and therefore requires negotiations between the two sides to map out viable working terms.
At the moment, Siew said, the two sides lack mutual understanding and trust necessary for such talks.
"Without mutual trust, any talks would lead nowhere," Siew said. "I think we may have to wait for some time before the two sides can sit down to talk about the direct-shipping and air-links issue."
Until the time is ripe for such talks, Taiwan should use all available means to create a better cross-strait trade environment, Siew said.
First and foremost, he went on, Taiwan should pave the way for opening direct cross-strait chartered cargo flights to boost Taiwan's function as a regional trans-shipment center.
Touching on cross-strait relations, Siew said that although Beijing has pushed its "united front" campaign to woo Taiwanese people for many years, it still fails to understand the real desires of the country's people.
But he said optimistically that over the long term, the two sides will be able to gradually forge rapprochement through dialogue and peaceful exchanges in various fields.
"With wisdom, sincerity and patience, the two sides will eventually settle their disputes," he added.
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