The government yesterday welcomed a fresh European Parliament resolution that stressed that the will and the approval of the people of Taiwan must be respected in the light of any peaceful solution to the cross-strait impasse.
The European Parliament yesterday passed a resolution on "the Commission communication on an EU strategy toward China: Implementation of the 1998 Communication and Future Steps for a more Effective EU Policy."
Part of the resolution addressed the issue of Taiwan in what Taipei saw as a "friendly" and positive light, triggering a welcome yesterday by Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新), according to a foreign ministry press release.
"This is a very friendly gesture," Katharine Chang (
Chang especially drew attention to the part of the resolution that emphasized that the approval of the people of Taiwan should be respected when the two sides of the Strait seek a peaceful solution to their longstanding rivalry.
"While Clinton made a similar remark in 2000, it was the first time that the West stated in writing that any solution to the cross-strait issue should respect the approval of the people of Taiwan," Chang said.
On Feb. 24, 2000, former US president Bill Clinton for the first time mentioned the so-called "fourth pillar" of US policy toward China, namely, that the cross-strait situation should be resolved with the consent of the people of Taiwan.
"The will and approval of the 23 million people in Taiwan must be respected and accounted for in the light of a hopefully peaceful solution between the parties," the resolution stated.
The resolution stresses that "any arrangement between China and Taiwan can only be achieved on a mutually acceptable basis," while the process leading up to the solution requires both the "willingness to demonstrate flexibility ... and the capacity to be imaginative in proposing steps to resume dialogue."
While endorsing the EU's ad-herence to the "one China" policy, the resolution also called for "a peaceful resolution" of the cross-strait dispute through "negotiation, dialogue and confidence-building measures without any threat of force."
The parliament in the resolution reiterated its support for Taiwan's participation in the Asia-Europe Meeting and urged the European Commission not to delay setting up a representative office in Taipei, the press release said.
The resolution also repeatedly called for the EU member states to issue visas to Taiwan's high-ranking officials for private visits to the EU after EU members' refusal last November to grant visas for President Chen Shui-bian (
During the 1996 missile crisis, the European Parliament passed two related resolutions urging China to stop its threat of military action against Taiwan and to give up the right to use military force in its disputes with Taiwan.
RSS