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MAC says internal conflict hindering China's leadership

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday that internecine strife within the Chinese administration was obstructing progress on establishing direct cross-strait links.

MAC Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) made the comment after a senior Chinese official was reported yesterday as saying that China was still willing to discuss direct links with Taiwan despite President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) recent remark that there was "one country on each side" of the Taiwan Strait.

"My understanding is that one side in China's administration insists that China should talk to Taiwan right away, while the other side demands that China should not discuss the matter with Taiwan until after the 2004 presidential election to avoid helping President Chen Shui-bian win the election," Chen Ming-tong told reporters.

"The PRC created the Nauru incident in order to exacerbate tensions and this has further impeded the establishment of the `three links.' When China ends its internal conflict, establishment of the three links will proceed smoothly," he said.

Nauru established ties with Beijing on the day Chen Shui-bian became DPP chairman after China offered the tiny Pacific-island state a multi-million dollar aid and debt relief package.

According to a report in a Chinese-language newspaper, the deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office under China's Ministry of Communications, Li Jiansheng (李建生), said: "The door to discuss the establishment of the three links has not closed because of the `one country on each side' remark."

"`One country on each side,' of course, influenced cross-strait relations. But Vice Premier Qian Qichen's (錢其琛) remark, which states that the two sides could avoid discussing the content of `one China' as long as the negotiations are held by civil organizations, remains unchanged," the report quoted Li as saying.

However, Li said, "The establishment of the three links across the strait is a domestic issue, even though the vice premier said that the content of `one China' could be avoided in the negotiation."

Li's remarks are China's first comment on direct links since Chen's "one country on each side" remark of Aug. 3.

Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐), secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation, remained firm on Taiwan's rejection of the `one China' principle as a precondition for talks.

"When China comes under unbearable pressure to establish the direct three links and realizes the impossibility of doing so under its `one China principle,' the two sides will be able to resume discussion of the matter," Shi told the Taipei Times.

Chen Ming-tong nevertheless said that Taiwan was willing to talk.

"Establishing the direct three links is a part of our policy. President Chen has reiterated that the mainland policy remains unchanged. China should sit down and discuss the matter with us right away," he said.

Chen added that a proposal to establish direct links would be submitted to the Legislative Yuan in November.
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