Sun, Oct 21, 2001 page8

• Editorial: After APEC, no more Mr Nice Guy

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  We can only hope that, in the shambles of the APEC fracas, Taiwan's policy toward China will develop some backbone.

  Certainly Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) showed more resolve yesterday than we have so far seen from what, in this regard at least, has been a disappointing administration, as he fired off letters to other APEC leaders urging them in the strongest terms to condemn China over its refusal to invite Taiwan's representative to the leaders' summit. How much effect this is likely to have, given the focus of the summit on international terrorism and support for the US, is hard to say. What is less difficult to grasp is the likelihood that China's intransigence over the Taiwan invitation issue was strengthened by the knowledge that the central concerns of the US are a long way from the Taiwan Strait at the moment.

  The government's decision was not an easy one. There was a case for saying that, given the US preoccupation with Operation Enduring Freedom, Taiwan should have made sure it had a seat at the big table, if only to make sure that its interests weren't traded away in the quest for building the coalition. But even if Taiwan's delegate did attend the summit, it would not stop bilateral deals prejudicial to Taiwan's interests being done on the sidelines. The US has promised Taiwan that no such deals would be struck. Let us hope that the promises of the Bush administration are worth more than those of his unlamented immediate predecessor.

  Taiwan's Quisling media have been quick to condemn the government. We, on the other hand, think the government had little choice. The convention since 1993 has been that the host country sends an envoy to invite Taiwan's leader to the summit, he "regretfully" says he can't attend and appoints a representative in his place.

  China simply refused to follow this practice and without an invitation, Taiwan's representative could not attend. China's lack of good faith in playing by accepted international rules was once again obvious to everybody in its attempt to confine Taiwan's representation according to the 1991 memorandum of understanding -- which has nothing whatsoever to do with the leaders' summit, which didn't begin until 1993. In regard to APEC, which is after all a forum of little consequence, this might be seen as inconsequential. In regard to China's obligations when it joins the WTO, it is of major and disquieting import.

  Taiwan cannot pretend that the APEC debacle did not happen. It must, inevitably influence Taiwan's China policy. But how? Frankly, we hope that the 18 months of pandering to China since Chen Shui-bian entered office will now come to an end. Given international distrust of Chen's past pro-independence zealotry there was considerable suspicion of him, which the monthly "gestures of goodwill" have done much to dispel. Unfortunately, they have also given Beijing the impression that Taiwan is on its knees and is about to crawl to the negotiating table to accept anything Beijing demands.

  This of course is not true -- at least not as long as the KMT remains out of office. But the impression of Taiwanese weakness has been overwhelming. It is time therefore to get tough and reassert some of the independence that Taiwan already has and that Lien Chan (連戰) and his ilk want to give away. We can think of no better way to do this than for Chen to point out that in the wake of APEC, Taiwan has been forced to re-assess its previous stance toward China -- and there's no need to say what that was -- and has decided that relations should from now on be seen as being "state to state" in nature. A plain reiteration of the "two states" model is the obvious course for a rebuffed Taiwan to take. Come on Mr President, no more Mr Nice Guy.
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