Cross-strait links threaten economy

This only goes to show how important the normalization of such links are to Beijing's plans to annex Taiwan and Penghu: Not only is it more important than stopping arms sales to Taiwan, it is also second to no other goal.

Any regular state would strengthen its national defenses to deter an enemy invasion and maintain national security. This is the most fundamental condition for protecting the lives of its people. If such a country's arms procurement budget is blocked for whatever reason, it is bound to incur public skepticism. Therefore, the pan-blues are now beginning to realize that if they continue to stall the arms budget, it will reveal their pro-China stance and may cause them to lose public support and maybe even affect voter support. Through their opposition over the past two years, they have come halfway in their attempts to increase the military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, so rather than continuing their obstruction, they will stop rubbing people up the wrong way and compromise with the US by presenting US businesses in Taiwan with a great gift, thus killing two birds with one stone. This is the reason why the pan-blue camp's new strategic goal is to exchange the arms procurement bill for direct cross-strait links.

Direct cross-strait flights are intended to promote cross-strait unification while opposition to the arms purchase is intended to weaken military capability, and both moves are aimed at bringing about eventual unification with China. It is to be hoped that the DPP government is aware of these disadvantages and sees through this plot so that it it can explain to the public that cross-strait direct transportation links have a negative impact on the sustainable development of Taiwan's economy, and that it will not believe in the myth that improving the cross-strait relationship will revive the local economy.

The government must resolutely reject the unreasonable blackmail attempt of attaching the cross-strait links to the arms procurement bill. This is the only way to sustain the positive economic developments that have taken place over the past few months. The controversy over President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) handling of the presidential state affairs fund has culminated during the past week. The DPP government should raise its vigilance to prevent China from infiltrating Taiwan. It should not enter into any compromise that could threaten national sovereignty.

Translated by Daniel Cheng