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Editorial: Diplomatic efforts paying off

On Thursday, the European Parliament passed another pro-Taiwan resolution calling not only on European nations to allow visits by high-ranking officials, but also on Beijing to withdraw its missiles aimed at Taiwan. In April, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the cross-strait issue, reiterating its call for a peaceful solution and for the first time stating that the popular will of Taiwan must be respected. The series of Taiwan-friendly resolutions in both the EU and the US have at least two major implications: peace in the Taiwan Strait is becoming an international issue and Taiwan's "parliamentary diplomacy" is working well.

It is important to build an international consensus that what goes on in the Taiwan Strait -- especially in situations where force may be used against Taiwan -- is an international issue rather than a "domestic affair" as characterized by Beijing. The purpose is, of course, to give legitimacy to foreign intervention when needed. After all, the odds will be against Taiwan if it has to stand up to Beijing on its own.

It used to be that Japan and the US were the only third countries paying attention to the cross-strait relationship. But other countries in the region and the world are turning their eyes to the Taiwan Strait as well. This is well-demonstrated by the series of pro-Taiwan resolutions passed by the European Parliament.

To countries in the region, free access to and passage through the Taiwan Strait is extremely critical to trade, sea and air transportation and foreign ties inside and outside the region. The Taiwan Strait standing between communist China and democratic Taiwan forms a natural shield against Beijing's military expansion. If China were to gain control of the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan, the strategic military balance within the region would be changed entirely.

Indeed, countries in the region and, as a matter of fact, the world have good reason to worry about the military threat posed by China; Taiwan may not be the sole target of Chinese military ambition. The rapid growth of China's annual military budget and the large number of missiles deployed along the Chinese coast have long exceeded what is needed if Taiwan is Beijing's sole target.

All signs indicate that the core of global security concerns has shifted to Asia. Both the US and Europe are beginning to realize this. Even more importantly, they are beginning to ponder the difficulty of staying neutral in the event that China uses military force against Taiwan. The best way to avoid such a dilemma is to tell China up front that peace is the only way to go.

Credit must be given to legislative leaders from Taiwan who are working hard to establish ties with the parliaments of other countries. Both the establishment of the Taiwan Caucus in the US Congress and the series of Taiwan-friendly resolutions passed by European Parliament show that their hard work is paying off.

Unfortunately, some members of the Taiwan legislature seem bent on destroying the good work of their colleagues rather than offering a helping hand. For example, the conduct of a delegation comprised of 23 opposition lawmakers led by KMT legislator John Chang (章孝嚴) has been outrageous. In front of American legislators, they openly condemned President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) for his "one country on each side" of the Taiwan Strait remarks, not only taking shameful partisan bickering abroad but also creating the illusion that the popular will in Taiwan is divided over the sovereign status of the country. This kind of action should be condemned and stopped.
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