According to a diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Beijing that was recently released by WikiLeaks, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) is quite keen to leave his mark on history, especially Taiwan’s history.
Hu wants Taiwan to “re-enter” the fold before his term is up so his photo can go up on government walls next to photos of former Chinese leaders Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) and Mao Zedong (毛澤東), showing that he, too, was one of China’s most important leaders. If he is successful, Chinese history books could say that he ended the Chinese Civil War, unified the motherland and, hopefully, brought US influence in China’s sovereign territory to an end.
According to the cable, Chinese officials expressed concern that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had refused to give a substantive response to Hu’s six-point proposal on cross-strait relations.
Apparently these officials have not been paying close attention over the past three years. After bending over backward for Beijing, what else does Ma have to do to make Hu happy?
The first item on Hu’s six-point plan was adherence to the “one China” principle and enhanced political trust. Ma has stuck to the concept of “one China” as enshrined in the Republic of China Constitution and has rejected any suggestion of “two Chinas.” Furthermore, officials in his administration have cozied up to Chinese officials, enhancing mutual political trust.
The second point, relating to strengthening economic ties and promoting joint development, has been on the top of Ma’s agenda from day one of his presidency. Taiwan practically promised to merge its economy with China’s when it signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). Furthermore, all manner of other joint developments are taking place, both above and below the table, involving cultural exchanges, tourism, direct travel, investment and military ties, though usually with retired generals.
Hu’s third point was that Taiwan and China should cultivate Chinese cultural and spiritual links. Again, Ma has been right on target. Under his administration, high-school history classes have replaced huge portions of curricula on Taiwan and international relations with materials emphasizing China, while other classes are being dropped so students can study ancient Confucian texts.
The fourth point was the idea of promoting personnel visits and broadening exchanges. With the amount of government money being spent so officials can visit China, this one also looks to be in the bag. Just recently, Judicial Yuan members went on an all-expenses-paid trip to airports in China, supposedly to inspect them, but as a number of lawmakers said, it was likely just an excuse for a vacation.
The fifth point related to Taiwan’s “reasonable” participation in global organizations, which lies in Hu’s hands and is not something that has played out very well. However, Hu’s definition of “reasonable” seems to be so narrow that not even the China--centric Ma administration can stomach it. To take part in these organizations, Taiwan has found itself being increasingly described as “Taiwan, province of China,” while some countries are even referring to it as “Taiwan, People’s Republic of China.”
And Hu’s sixth point: End hostilities and sign a peace agreement. Whose hands does Hu think this point lies in? Taiwan’s? China is the country that has offensive missile brigades deployed with the purpose of crushing Taiwan; China is building an aircraft carrier that would allow it to gain air superiority over Taiwan; China has enacted laws making it legal to use lethal force against Taiwan. It is China that continues to pose a threat to Taiwan.
So what are Hu and Chinese officials concerned about? Ma has done all they have asked short of declaring unification. Is it that Hu is starting to realize his goal of making Taiwan his legacy by 2013 is too much to chew and he is looking for someone to blame?
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