Newsmaker: Tsai Ing-wen dazzles Washington officials

Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who apparently played the role of "firefighter" by going to Washington on Aug. 5 to explain President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) remarks on Aug. 3, "impressed officials in Washington," according to an official in the Presidential Office.

This official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to the Taipei Times that Tsai was commissioned to clarify and reiterate Taiwan's stance regarding cross-strait policy at the last moment as high-ranking US officials showed great concern about the matter.

Americans find Tsai convincing

The calm attitude and precise expression in English by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) chairwoman "persuaded" US officials that Taiwan's cross-strait policy remained unchanged -- despite Chen's remarks that Taiwan and China are "one country on each side" of the Taiwan Strait.

"We are satisfied with the result. At least America's main China policymakers have accepted Taipei's statement," he said.

The 46-year-old Tsai, who is well known as the head of a panel formulating former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) "two states" theory (兩國論), was recommended by Lee to President Chen to become the head of the MAC, which is Taiwan's top and most sensitive agency governing China affairs.

With regard to Chen's controversial Aug. 3 remarks, there is no way to prove whether Tsai had any advanced knowledge of what he was going to say. But there is no doubt that Tsai was the first and only candidate that the Presidential Office chose as the president's "firefighter."

Her expertise in negotiations, familiarity with cross-strait affairs and fluent English made her the best choice to explain the president's remarks "appropriately."

Lee appointed Tsai in 1997 to head a group to research diplomatic ways to assert the nation's sovereignty. She was at that time a consultant to the National Security Council.

Later in 1999, Lee had an interview with a German radio station, during which he said Taiwan and China have "special state-to-state" relations.

This comment was supported by international law research conducted by Tsai's panel.

Although China responded to the statement by refusing to resume dialogue between quasi-official organizations across the Strait -- the China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and its Taiwanese counterpart, the Straits Exchange Foundation -- Beijing indeed cannot deny the fact that the ROC is a country that enjoys its own sovereignty.

Law school pedigree

The "two states" declaration can actually be understood from Tsai's academic background. She graduated from Taiwan's best law school at National Taiwan University in 1978, earned her master's degree in law at America's Cornell University in 1980 and received her PhD in the same subject at the reputable London School of Economics in 1984.

The law school training makes her an international law expert and makes her believe that the "two states" declaration can be justified despite political disputes across the Strait.

But Tsai has shown her flexibility and agile tactics since becoming the head of the MAC in 2000.

She has declined to comment on the "two states" theory in public and claims Chen's remarks have nothing to do with the theory.

That's what the DPP government wants -- a firm stance to claim Taiwan's sovereignty with vague room for Taiwan to bargain with Chinese authorities.