When President Chen Shui-bian (
But the confrontation between the ruling and opposition camps has resulted in them reaching a tentative consensus: democracy shall be the main principle when handling the cross-strait issue.
When defending the government's position, both Chen and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (
In the face of massive pressure from China, the two camps should expand their consensus instead of highlighting disagreements and allowing China to further split and weaken Taiwan. This is not only the ruling camp's mission, but also the responsibility of the opposition camp. When considering Taiwan consciousness, interaction across the Taiwan Strait and international support, Taiwan's China policy should be built on the following three pillars: democracy, peace and prosperity. These three principles tally not only with Taiwan's current national interests, but also with global trends and interests. Peace without democracy is surrender. In the absence of peace, there will be no prosperity and without prosperity there will be no democratic consolidation or guarantees of peace.
There are three strategic benefits to Taiwan's democracy. First of all, democracy is the supreme principle that determines cross-strait relations. Any change to the status quo -- Taiwan's independence, for example -- must be agreed upon by the Taiwanese people. China cannot compel Taiwan to accept unification by force.
Second, democracy is Taiwan's key asset when it comes to gaining support from the US and the international community.
Third, democracy is Taiwan's strategic goal for China's long-term development, as it avoids a strong, dictatorial China confronting a democratic Taiwan and the possibility of an international tragedy. If cross-strait peace is not predicated on democracy -- approved by the people of Taiwan -- it is likely to mean Taiwan's surrender to China. This certainly does not protect Taiwan's interests. Rather, it is a sacrifice of its interests.
Peace is in the interest of all countries, including China, the US and Japan, and it tallies with Taiwan's strategic benefits. Taiwan's China policy should be to seek support from the world's leading powers, especially the US, to bring Taiwan the maximum benefits from its interactions with China. If Taiwan pushes for major policy changes or a changing of its Constitution without consulting the leading powers and respecting their interests, Taiwan will only further alienate them and isolate itself from the international community. If that is the case, Taiwan will have to face the Chinese military threats and international political oppression alone. Taiwan's security cannot rely on military strength alone, nor can it be viewed as strictly a matter of military means. Only by deepening its democracy, appealing for peace, promoting economic development, strengthening its economic and trade relations with the rest of the world and working with the rest of the globe to counter Beijing's military threats can Taiwan's security be guaranteed and stability in the Taiwan Strait be maintained.
Prosperity is also a shared interest of all nations. This applies to Taiwan, China, the US and Japan, all other countries in Southeast Asia as well as the member states of the EU. Taiwan is a fairly successful example of economic development in the international community, and it plays a crucial role in the global division of labor and shared global markets. It should therefore make use of this advantage and strengthen its economic exchanges with other countries, including China. It should also seek to cooperate and share its interests with other countries, so as to promote the prosperity of Taiwan and its friends on the one hand and strengthen its security through international economic dependance on the other.
Tung Chen-yuan is an assistant professor in the Sun Yat-sen Graduate Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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