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Pan-blues say `ROC' offers best way to avoid conflict

Reacting to the passage of China's anti-secession law yesterday, the pan-blue camp said that holding to the Constitution, name and concept of the Republic of China (ROC) is the best way for Taiwan to avoid escalating cross-strait tensions and provoking China to military action.

The pan-blue parties yesterday urged China to respect the sovereignty of the ROC and called for peaceful cross-strait negotiations and a resolution to the cross-strait issue, while stressing yesterday that Taiwanese independence is neither an option nor the mainstream will of the Taiwanese people.

"The Republic of China is foundation of the consolidated view of all the nation's people's and is the key to avoiding a military showdown across the Strait," Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said during a KMT press conference.

"The Republic of China is not only the greatest common denominator [of the ruling and opposition camps'], but it is also the greatest common denominator in cross-strait peace," People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said at a press conference at his party's central headquarters.

Since the ROC has always been a sovereign nation, it and the status quo maintained under its name do not conflict with China's anti-secession law, the pan-blue camp said. Rather, it is the recent activities of pro-independence factions and of the administration, such as the rectification of Taiwan's name in the titles of government agencies and the government's push for constitutional reforms that has provoked China into drafting the "anti-secession" legislation and has escalated cross-strait tensions.

While the pan-blue parties agreed that holding to the ROC is the best way for Taiwan to avoid a military confrontation with China in the future, their views on Taiwan's future path of action and the significance of the anti-secession law were mixed.

Soong credited his meeting last month with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) for the recent softening of China's stance on cross-strait relations.

"Since the 10-point joint consensus from the Feb. 24 Chen-Soong summit was released, we have seen a rare softening in the cross-strait situation. In the 10 points of the joint resolution, Chen Shui-bian agreed not to call for the rectification of Taiwan's name or to hold a referendum on Taiwanese independence. On China's side, it has also expressed its respect for the divided cross-strait situation on a certain level," Soong said.

The alterations to the text of the anti-secession law and China's proposals to Taiwan for cross-strait negotiations, Soong said, should be taken as a sign of China's flexibility and of its acknowledgement of the divided state of affairs, both of which are improvements to the current situation.
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