By Charles Snyder
Staff Reporter in Washington
The US government is unaware of the potential long-term consequences of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) opening of Taiwan to China, instead welcoming the short-term easing of tensions that Ma’s policies have brought, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in Washington on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Heritage Foundation think tank on the second day of a five-day visit to Washington, Tsai said the US had not begun to come to terms with the long-term price Taiwan will have to pay for Ma’s cross-strait policy.
The US side “likes to see the easing of tensions,” she said.
“I think there are people here who think that the cross-strait situation and the tensions have been eased because of the approach the Ma administration takes. But the thing is we have to think more than that. That is, to what extent and what is the price they are paying for this easing of tensions,” she said.
In comments to Taiwanese reporters after her speech, Tsai recommended that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government be cautious in making concessions to China and in seeking relaxation of policy.
“In my view, the Chinese are not prepared yet to make major concessions. So it is not a time to make major concessions on the part of Taiwan in exchange for whatever we need from them,” Tsai said.
“So the [Ma] administration has to be a bit more patient and not make hasty decisions despite the fact that their intentions might be good,” Tsai said. “The price we are paying might be too high.”
To manage relations with China in the long run, the Taiwanese public and parties must be united in their attitude and actions toward Beijing, Tsai said.
“I think there is no fast route to that,” she said. “It requires patience, education and communications.”
“China is experiencing major changes in its economic, social and political development, and in the next decade China is going to experience a lot of challenges,” she said.
“So we need to have a united Taiwan” to manage those changes, she said.
“What has become a tragedy of a sort is that we are so divided among ourselves, and we cannot face the challenge of forming a constructive relationship with China. If we are not united, we will not be able to cope with cross-strait problems,” Tsai said.
Tsai also took Ma to task for reneging on his major campaign promises.
During the campaign, Ma “made an effort to adopt cross-strait positions that the DPP has long championed. He highlighted his loyalty to Taiwan and his ‘Taiwan-ness.’ He stated that he was running for president of an independent, sovereign state. He asserted that the 23 million people of Taiwan have a right to their future. He emphasized his commitment to strengthening Taiwan’s defense and Taiwan relations with major partners such as the US and Japan,” Tsai said.
“However, in the three months following his election, his policy and statements veered in the opposite direction. He reduced the defense budget, he has stated that Taiwan must consider using force to resolve territorial disputes with Japan. He also said that Taiwan and China do not necessarily have a state-to-state relationship and even referred to Taiwan as the Taiwan area of the Republic of China,” she said.
“There is tremendous anxiety within Taiwan, particularly among DPP supporters, that his positions are leading to the erosion of our security and sovereignty and causing irrevocable damage,” Tsai said.
Tsai is scheduled to meet with think tanks, government officials and others on her first trip to Washington since assuming the chairmanship of the DPP.
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