Academic touts EU plan in cross-strait relations

Following EU-style formula could offer a new perspective on the development of cross-strait relations, an academic said yesterday.

Addressing forum held at the Presidential Office marking Constitution Day, which is celebrated today, Chen Ming-tung (陳明通), formerly a vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, said that seeking co-existence and co-prosperity with China under an EU formula is one of the three policies that the government is following to achieve its strategic goal on cross-strait relations -- a normalized cross-strait relationship.

Chen that he does not think the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has maintained a "wavering" policy on China, of which it has been accused by some opposition politicians.

On the contrary, he said, the DPP's strategic goal of cross-strait relations is lucid -- the normalization of relations. To achieve this goal, the administration has three major policies -- consolidating a national consensus on the nation's status, stressing that Taiwan is a sovereign state; putting forward a cross-strait "co-existence and co-prosperity" vision, drawing on the EU formula as an example; and constructing transitional arrangements which facilitate the materialization of this vision, Chen said.

The "transitional arrangements" include that the two sides of the Strait negotiate over the building of a cross-strait interaction framework for peace and stability; that Taiwan continues to enhance business and trade ties with China on principles of "active opening and efficient management"; that Taiwan helps China accelerate its democratization to solve the cross-strait contradiction at its root, he said.