Fri, Mar 19, 2004 page4

• Tsai says that sovereignty can't be left on one side

  CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS The MAC chairwoman told international media yesterday that KMT Chairman Lien Chan's ideas on ties with China were not feasible

  • By Melody Chen / STAFF REPORTER
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  Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday rejected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) proposal to shelve Taiwan's sovereignty disputes with China in order to reopen cross-strait dialogue.

  In a press conference hosted by the council for hundreds of foreign journalists here to observe the election, Tsai said he disapproved of the opposition presidential candidate's statement regarding Taiwan's sovereignty.

  "There should not be disputes about our sovereignty," Tsai said. "When we are talking about sovereignty today, we are talking about the rights of the people here to exercise their rights and will collectively, to make decisions for themselves and to make courses for their futures.

  "This is sovereignty -- you cannot set it aside. It is inherent," she said.

  The establishment of cross-strait relationships should be like building ties between "two different sovereignties," she said, adding the concept had been presented in the government's proposal to build a "peace and stability framework" with China.

  As the government has over the years been calling for more flexibility from Beijing, which insists on Taiwan's acceptance of the "one China" principle as the condition for talks, Tsai was asked what flexibility Taiwan was willing to show to reopen dialogue.

  Tsai said the government had to think about to what extent the "one China" principle would undermine Taiwan's sovereignty.

  If there is a formulation that China could come up with that assures Taiwan's sovereignty, then it would be possible for Taipei to talk to Beijing about the meaning of the "one China" principle, she said.

  "But if they ask us to accept the `one China' principle before talking to us about the definition of the principle, it [the requirement] is just against the kind of logic we have here," Tsai said.

  Tsai said that the government was not pushing an independence agenda.

  "The government is aware of the general public's desire to maintain the status quo. What the government here is doing is to strengthen our sovereignty," she said.

  Tsai said it was the government's responsibility to consolidate the country's sovereignty.

  Commenting on Beijing's changed tone from former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji's (朱鎔基) verbal intimidation four years ago ahead of Taiwan's presidential election, Tsai said China had become more "skillful" in handling the relationship with Taiwan.

  Beijing attempted to drum up international pressure on Taiwan's referendum by sending envoys and messengers to other countries asking for their comments on the vote, while the general feeling here is that "Taiwan seems to be moving away from them [China]," Tsai said.

  Acknowledging that the cross-strait situation was "extremely complicated and extremely difficult to manage," Tsai said the government had been very realistic and that it had been assessing military conflicts with China.

  Asked for her opinion on the KMT's proposal for an "air corridor" across the Taiwan Strait, Tsai called it "a Cold War idea" and "outdated."

  The air corridor plan did not reflect reality because it involved two completely isolated countries that are hostile to each other, she said.

  Considering the frequent daily flights between China and Taiwan via Hong Kong and Macau, Tsai said there was no need to create the air corridor.

  For your information

  First things first

  * KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan has suggested that Taiwan and China leave their sovereignty dispute for future generations to deal with and get on with the business of building economic ties. * The MAC head said that negotiating anything with Beijing was impossible without some prior understanding on sovereignty.
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