President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he is open to a political dialogue with China once remaining economic issues are resolved, though he gave no timetable for when those discussions might start.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Ma credited his outreach to China, which has so far centered on trade and commercial ties, with easing tensions in one of East Asia’s longest-running feuds.
Ma said the warmer relations between Taipei and Beijing had also benefited the US, Taipei’s most important military benefactor.
Although China has been more assertive as its wealth grows, Ma said it would likely find ways to work with other countries in Asia and will not jeopardize the region’s economic growth.
Although Ma struck generally positive tones about China’s future, he made it clear he did not intend to push Taiwan into a political agreement that would hasten Beijing’s long-stated goal of unification.
Between the poles of union and separation, AP reported that Ma said his government was prepared to discuss political agreements, including security issues, as soon as the priority economic issues are dealt with. He said political talks could start as early as a second four-year term if he wins re-election in 2012.
“We are not intentionally delaying the talks on political issues. Certainly the economic ones are more important to people here. People also support the idea [of] economy first, politics later,” Ma said.
A few hours after the AP interview was released, however, Ma called an impromptu press conference to make what he said were necessary clarifications, saying he did not set a timetable for starting political talks with China, nor had he set any preconditions for unification.
The AP interview said that Ma suggested political talks could start as early as his second four-year term if he wins re-election in 2012.
“[The AP] story said that we are prepared to discuss politics and political talks could start in my second term. There was some discrepancy between the story and what I said. In my answers, I never linked political talks and my second term,” Ma said.
What I said was that the government would not start political talks with China before it completed negotiations on economic issues, which have just begun.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said that the Government Information Office had asked AP to make corrections, adding that the Presidential Office would release Chinese and English transcriptions of the interview.
Among the crucial economic agreements that first need to be tackled, Ma said, are those on investment guarantees, ways to resolve disputes and tariff and other barriers to the two sides more than US$100 billion in trade.
The remarks underscore how Ma’s policy toward China is evolving as Taipei and Beijing look to build on their growing economic ties.
Criticized by opponents at home for moving too far too fast, Ma promised anew that his China opening would move only in step with the public, which polls show is overwhelmingly in favor of a continuation of Taiwan’s continued de facto independence.
“The most important strategy is to make the leadership in Beijing not even consider invading Taiwan because that would hurt their interests too,” Ma said.
He called the presence of the missiles “an illogical situation” given the thousands of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan on any given day.
Even so, Taipei would upgrade its defense and in doing so continue to rely on Washington for assistance, Ma said. He reiterated his request to the US for F-16C/D fighter aircraft to replace older fighters still stands, even though Beijing has warned against any sale.
“We are not seeking war with any country,” he said. “This is very much understood in Washington. Of course China continues to oppose [arms sales]. So we have made it very clear that to maintain the adequate defense of Taiwan is the intention.”
Defusing tensions between Taiwan and China helps make Washington’s relations with Beijing less complicated, Ma said.
While the US, Japan and Southeast Asian countries have recently criticized China for more aggressively asserting claims to disputed territories and straining tensions, Ma said none would undermine the prosperity that the region’s security rests on.
“Asia is the growth engine of the world,” Ma said. “No country would do something stupid to change that prosperous future.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
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