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Editorial: Tourists, kids and naked ambition

We are happy to hear that the US government is reviewing its "one China" policy, which has remained unchanged for more than 20 years. Although the scope of the review is very limited, according to US scholar John Tkacik, and the chance for any major breakthrough is slight, a small step toward changing this policy is still a giant historical leap.

According to Tkacik, US foreign policy cannot be built on a myth. Statements by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly before the US Congress reveal that people are beginning to recognize that the "one China" policy is ever less relevant to the actual cross-strait relationship.

Even a tourist without the slightest understanding of the Taiwan-China relationship will see the differences: he will have to go to the Taiwanese mission to apply for a visa, not to the Chinese embassy; he will be making purchases with NT dollars in Taiwan, not yuan; he will find that although the official language is Mandarin in both locations, Taiwan uses a traditional script, and not China's simplified characters.

If this visitor stays longer, he will find out that Taiwan is a democratic country where a member of the opposition party can refuse to recognize the government without going to jail, and that this country has its own laws and armed forces.

The situation revealed by this is that Taiwan has been a "quasi-state" for over half a century. Most of its residents are in fact immigrants from China. They inherited Chinese culture and have built a society of their own on the shoulders of the Chinese culture, and have been very proud of this achievement.

Therefore, if we want to portray the current cross-strait situation with a more precise concept, it should be the "one Chunghua" or "one Chinese" idea proposed by Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) during her US trip in 2002, and not with the "one China" idea.

"Chunghua" is a cultural concept and expresses the fact that Taiwan has inherited and continues to develop a Chinese culture. This shared cultural foundation provides an opportunity for strengthening and improving relations between Taiwan and China.

In the four years of the president's first term, specifically since his 2000 inauguration speech, cross-strait relations didn't go anywhere because of China's intransigence. Since Chen won a second term, things have become worse, with China instigating hostile actions, including threats against the Chi Mei Group (奇美集團) and its former chairman, Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍), and allowing "anti-green" demonstrations by extremist students which resulted in the cancellation of a concert by Taiwanese singer Chang Hui-mei (張惠妹) in Hangzhou. Academics have made public remarks about China potentially using economic sanctions against Taiwan, causing Taiwan's stock market to plummet.

This is possibly the most hopeless the cross-strait situation has ever been. Part of the reason is that pro-green people in Taiwan have always been reluctant to admit and be proud of their Chinese heritage, creating the impression around the world that pro-greens are unfriendly toward China. Another reason is China's refusal to face the transformations of Taiwan's society.

Those who govern should be more sensitive to the times than ordinary people if they are to look ahead and plan policy. People who have this sensitivity and foresight are called statesmen. We need someone to terminate the hopelessness of the present cross-strait situation.

It is best if the US, China and Taiwan work together, but the key is for a child unafraid to speak the truth to point out that "The emperor is not wearing any clothes!" It needs to be pointed out that "one China" is simply a lie.
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