Peace comes through trust
China has just issued a policy paper calling its relations with Taiwan tense and their reunification future grim. It went on to blast US arms sales to Taiwan and the island's "separatist" scheme for the complicated problem. All of a sudden, the bully sounds like the victim.
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize going to to South Korea President Kim Dae-jung may not solve all the disputes on the Korean Peninsula right away. However, the dramatic breakthrough signaled a new era that brings trust and respect, not bickering and animosity, to the two Koreas. Both sides have acknowledged and shelved the differences between them and pledged cooperation. This is a proud victory for all Korean people.
In contrast, China still refuses to even say Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's(
Perhaps, the indispensable ingredients in negotiating a peaceful resolution among rivals are trust, respect, forgiveness and patience.
Without these ingredients, all efforts will prove futile, like the current situations in the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
Instead of blaming power politics and regional hegemony, maybe China should stop playing chicanery and whining and look beyond its reunification agenda, which is certainly unrealistic now.
With almost no ties, the two Koreas can behave like real brothers: Even with so many ties now, Taiwan and China still bicker. Maybe the Koreans are smarter.
Yang Ji-charng
USA
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