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DPP clarifies position, sticks to `five no's'

President Chen Shui-bian, center, arrives at a Taipei hospital yesterday to visit Tao Pai-chuan, an ailing former national policy adviser. On Saturday, Chen said he supported legislation for a referendum on formal independence from China. PHOTO: REUTERS

DPP officials restated the party's position of sticking to the "five no's" policy, after Beijing issued a tough-worded warning following President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) remarks when he referred to Taiwan and China as "separate states on either side of the Taiwan Strait."

Expressing his regret over China's denunciation, DPP Director of the Chinese Affairs Department Chen Chung-hsin (陳忠信) said that Beijing had misunderstood the president's statements and that the solution to such miscommunication would be to "build mutual trust and resume dialogue."

Responding to China's accusation that the president was steering the nation toward independence, Chen Chung-hsin said, "we are not surprised by China's reaction. But we'd like to reiterate that the DPP will continue to make good on the `five no's' policy."

In his strongest comments since he took office in May 2000, the president said on Saturday that there is one country on either side of the Taiwan Strait and that Taiwan must seriously consider passing legislation to prepare for a referendum to protect the country's sovereignty.

In response, Beijing warned the president that his call for the legislation would seriously damage relations between the two sides, and "bring Taiwan into disaster."

The spokesman of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Li Weiyi (李維一), said Chen's statements proved that his "five no's" policy was merely an expedient measure aimed at deceiving the people of Taiwan and world opinion.

When he took office, Chen vowed to cling to the "five no's policy" as long as Beijing has no intention of using military force against Taiwan.

The "five no's" policy states that Taiwan will: not declare independence; not change the name of the nation; not change the Constitution to include the so-called "state-to-state" model of cross-strait relations; not promote a referendum to change the status quo regarding the question of independence or unification and not abolish the National Reunification Council or the National Reunification Guidelines.

Regarding China's labeling of the president as a splittist who seeks to declare independence, Chen Chung-hsin said the statement shows that "China has over-interpreted the president's remarks."

He said that the president's remarks aimed to underscore Taiwan's independent status in accordance with the party's "1999 resolution regarding Taiwan's future."

Considered the party's primary guideline when dealing with cross-strait issues, the resolution declares that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state whose name is the ROC. Any changes regarding this status quo must be collectively determined by all people in Taiwan through a public referendum.

According to the DPP, Taiwan's independence is a reality, the referendum would only apply if Taiwanese wanted to decide if they want to reunite with China.

Executive Director of the DPP's Policy Research and Coordinating Committee Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) urged China to take Taiwan's mainstream opinions into account, citing a TVBS cable channel survey conducted on Saturday.

The poll indicates that 54 percent of the respondents approved of Chen's statements that Taiwan and China are two different nations, whereas 62 percent of the respondents agreed to use a referendum to decide Taiwan's future.
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