New era begins

President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inaugural address yesterday heaped praise on Taiwan for its own democratic accomplishments, declaring that "Taiwan stands up," while calling on China to work together with Taiwan to handle the question of future reunification with both equality and goodwill.

"Taiwan stands up, demonstrating a firmness of purpose and faith in democracy," Chen said, raising the intensity of his voice with each phrase to the applause of several thousand people in the audience at the Presidential Office. "Taiwan stands up, representing the self-confidence of the people and the dignity of the country. Taiwan stands up, symbolizing the quest for hope and the realization of dreams."

During the entire speech, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) stood by Chen's side.

Chen's address remained focused for the most part on the domestic issues, as he reaffirmed promises he had made during the election campaign, most notably the determination to snuff out "black-gold" (黑金), a term referring to the notorious mixture of money and gangster politics.

"I am willing to promise hereby that the new government will eliminate vote-buying and crack down on `black gold' politics, so that Taiwan can rise above such downward sinking forces. We must give the people a clean political environment," Chen said.

As Chen called for reform, he also thanked President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) for the democratic foundation he had laid out during the past 12 years.

Instead of ignoring the issue of reunification or "one China" -- which Beijing had demanded Chen address during his inaugural speech or face disaster -- Chen highlighted the historical and cultural similarities between Taiwan and China.

"Over the past one-hundred-plus years, China has suffered imperialist aggression, which left indelible wounds in her history. Taiwan's destiny has been even more arduous, tormented by brute force and the rule of colonialist regimes. These similar historical experiences should bring mutual understanding between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, setting a solid foundation for pursuing freedom, democracy and human rights together," Chen said.

Chen called on both sides to recognize their cultural similarities but to not disregard the need for parity.

"The people across the Taiwan Strait share the same ancestral, cultural, and historical background. While upholding the principles of democracy and parity, building upon the existing foundations, and constructing conditions for cooperation through goodwill, we believe that the leaders on both sides possess enough wisdom and creativity to jointly deal with the question of a future `one China,'" Chen said.

To set aside Beijing's fears that Taiwan would declare independence Chen made leaders in Beijing five promises that he would carry out if the Chinese Communist Party did not use force against Taiwan.

Chen said that during his term he would: not declare independence, not change the nation's name, not push forth the inclusion of the so-called "state-to-state" relations description in the Constitution, and not promote a referendum to change the status quo in regards to the question of independence or unification.

In addition to this, Chen also said the abolition of the National Reunification Council or the National Reunification Guidelines would not be an issue.