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Vice President Lu touts `two Chinas'

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) proposed yesterday that the government declare to the world the existence of "two Chinas" to counter Beijing's "one China" policy.

Lu made the remark during an interview with CTV yesterday.

"Why don't we just yell out `two Chinas' -- a free and democratic Republic of China on Taiwan and a communist People's Republic of China on the mainland," she said, who made the comment in the wake of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) recent statements that he has no plans to change the official name of the country from the Republic of China to "Republic of Taiwan" during his term.

"There are many disputes over the definition of national sovereignty and we should clarify on the fact [of `two Chinas'] to let the international community understand and make it more convenient to support us."

Under this "two Chinas" framework, the anti-secession law that Beijing is planning to enact will be inapplicable to Taiwan, because the law will only be effective in territory controlled by the PRC, Lu said.

According to the vice president, Beijing compelled Taipei to accept the "one China" policy during talks held in Hong Kong in 1992, and both sides later came to a compromise that allowed either side to express their respective interpretations of the meaning of "one China," with Beijing insisting that "one China" refers to the PRC, and Taipei insisting that "one China" refers to the ROC.

This so-called "1992 consensus" established during the time of the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government reflected the fact that there are "two Chinas," Lu said. Lu suggested that the KMT, as a supporter of the "1992 consensus," openly confess it is following a policy of "two Chinas" and take the lead in promoting the idea of "two Chinas."

She agreed with President Chen that the ROC is the largest area of common ground between the different political camps in Taiwan on the controversial issue of national identity. In response to the vice president's proposal, KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said that although the concept of "two Chinas" is closest to the reality, it cannot solve the problems across the Taiwan Strait.
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