The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is planning to establish a think tank to facilitate studies on the cross-strait situation, and particularly on a proposed mechanism to foster mutual trust between the military on both sides, an MND official said yesterday.
Vice Defense Minister Chao Shih-chang (趙世璋) urged legislators to support his proposal to establish the think tank, which he said would study a wide range of subjects.
Meanwhile, at a hearing of the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-ming (帥化民) reminded Chao and the ministry that the group of Chinese experts who are due to attend a seminar in Taipei on “60 years across the Taiwan Strait” are knowledgeable individuals.
“These people have helped complete reorganization of the Chinese Communist Party and they have been key players in the reforms of the Chinese Army,” Shuai said.
Chinese academics, including Zheng Bijian (鄭必堅), former vice president of the CCP’s Central Party School, will attend the two-day seminar starting today, which is being organized by the Taipei-based Pacific Cultural Foundation.
The Chinese experts on Taiwan affairs are expected to exchange views with their Taiwanese counterparts on issues related to cross-strait relations, including political and national security matters, but it was not clear exactly what political issues will be under discussion.
The seminar has been interpreted as “the beginning of a ‘track-two’ dialogue across the Taiwan Strait and a prelude to cross-strait political talks,” Shuai said.
Political issues have so far remained off the table in cross-strait discussions, the government says. Negotiators from both sides have reached nine agreements aimed at increasing cross-strait trade and economic exchanges since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in May last year.
Chao yesterday said the MND is keeping a close eye on the seminar and its results.
He added, however, that the time is not yet ripe for a mutual trust mechanism between the military on both sides of the strait and that Taiwan’s current approach to the development of cross-strait relations is based on the principles of “economy ahead of politics” and “the easy ones before the difficult ones.”
Taiwan and China are expected to sign three memorandums of understanding (MOU) on financial supervision before the end of this year and likely an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) next year.
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