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KMT details confederation plan

The KMT yesterday unveiled a position paper on its China policy that calls for a transitional confederation across the Taiwan Strait before heading towards full unification with the mainland.

The position paper will formally become party policy after being approved by the KMT's Central Standing Committee meeting this week and by a national congress at the end of this month.

As a guide for cross-strait policy it will replace the "special state-to-state" definition pronounced by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) two years ago.

"Although an opposition party, the KMT has decided to spell out its own mainland policy to help the government cope with the most important issue facing the nation," said Su Chi (蘇起), head of the KMT national security panel.

The draft policy suggests an indefinite confederation to serve as an interim arrangement before the two sides can iron out obstacles to eventual unification under the principles of peace, parity and democracy.

Under the confederation, Taipei and Beijing may exercise full dominion over their domestic affairs including national defense, conclude treaties with other countries, and maintain their own diplomatic representation abroad.

"Without abandoning the goal of unification, the proposed formula will succeed in winning support from at home and across the Strait," said Su, the former chief of Mainland Affairs Council.

"As such, it represents a great breakthrough, both theoretical and practical."

Beijing has said, however, that a confederation where member states enjoy independent sovereignty is unacceptable.

The most prominent confederations in modern history included the US from 1778 to 1787, the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866, and the United Arab Emirates.

KMT lawmaker Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) pointed out that, by proposing the confederation, the KMT intended to wave goodbye to the Lee era.

He contended that under Lee the party has ruled out unification and stalled cross-strait dialogue by denying the "one China, different interpretations" consensus reached by bilateral envoys in 1992.

"With the change of leadership, the KMT found it necessary to adopt a different strategy featuring reconciliation rather than confrontation in dealing with China," Ting said. ``

KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) broached the idea of confederation at the height of last year's presidential election, but soon gave it up to avoid alienating any potential voters.

But some attributed the turnabout to Lee's disapproval.

Su, who is responsible for fine-tuning the policy, said politicians of all hues have expressed approval for his "creative" design.

The paper will be reviewed by the KMT Central Standing Committee Wednesday before being put to a final vote during the party's congress at the end of this month.

But Hong Chi-chang (洪奇昌), a lawmaker of the ruling DPP, said he failed to see material difference between the latest KMT brainchild and Lee's "two-states" model.

"Only sovereign states can enter a confederation, whose existence bespeaks the statehood of its members," noted Hong, a stalwart of the DPP's hardline pro-independence New Tide faction.

He suspected that the KMT, plagued by an impending exodus by members loyal to Lee, is seeking to tag potential malcontents as independence activists.

"By so doing, the KMT calculates the new political group will not steal many of its traditional supporters away in the December polls," Hong added.

Still, he said the DPP will not accept any solution short of a plebiscite to decide the lot of Taiwan and its people.
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