China revises its terms

For President-elect Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his government-to-be, China has again raised the stakes on reunification talks, the KMT's chief China policy-maker said yesterday.

"We have recently discovered that China has been narrowing down possible definitions for what is called `one China.' It appears that Chen's new government will be faced with tougher tasks in the future in its handling of cross-strait relations," said the KMT's department of mainland affairs director Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭).

Chang made the remarks after a closed-door meeting in the morning with visiting Chinese academic Yu Keli (余克禮), deputy director of the Taiwan Research Institute under the China Academy of Social Sciences.

Chang said his exchange of views with Yu had given the impression that China was indeed getting tougher on its insistence that Taiwan abide by Beijing's version of the "one China" principle.

Yu himself, however, refused to make any comment after yesterday's meeting -- although he has done so in the case of other meetings with local political figures following his arrival in Taiwan on April 19.

After gathering from Yu what he said appeared to be a hardening stance, Chang said President-elect Chen should adopt the policy used by the out-going KMT government in its dealings with China in recent years.

"This policy is to insist that either side of the Strait has the right to interpret `one China' in its own way. It has worked pretty well. It has helped the country maintain its sovereignty and has contributed to the progress of cross-strait negotiations," Chang said.

Chang referred to an agreement brokered between Beijing and Taiwan in 1992, under which each side could use its own interpretations of the "one China" principle.

Beijing has since claimed it never agreed to such a concept.

"China may not like the new government following its predecessor's policy on the issue. But by doing so, the new government stands a chance to get more public support on its engagement with China," he said.

For people who have sufficient knowledge of cross-strait relations, Chang said, the core problem for the two sides was without doubt the "one China" principle.

"China wants to talk about `one-China' as a first principle for the resumption of cross-strait talks. It does not want to discuss with Taiwan the meaning of the phrase," Chang said.