An alarming cross-strait feud is intensifying over the recognition of notarized documents. Since the beginning of this year, more than 5,000 cases have been reported of notarized documents from Taiwan being rejected by the Chinese authorities.
This is taking place despite an agreement reached in 1993 between Taiwan's negotiator for cross-strait affairs, Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Daohan (汪道涵), during their groundbreaking meeting in Singapore. Under this agreement, the two sides had explicitly agreed on a reciprocal recognition of notarized documents.
This agreement and one regarding the handling of missing registered mail remain the only two agreements of any kind reached between the two sides. The significance of the Chinese government's recent move should not be underestimated.
These two agreements were reached with the belief that politics should not interfere with daily administrative affairs. Therefore, it is reasonable to interpret China's move as a potential retraction of this fundamental consensus.
China's move holds one further and more important implication -- changes in the current cross-strait impasse may be on the way, but for the worse, rather than for the better. If that is the case, it would certainly be a disappointing development.
What should Taiwan do? So far, Taiwan continues to recognize notarized documents from China. But how long can Taiwan continue to act like a Miss Goody Two-shoes in the face of what some would call a deliberate provocation from Beijing? The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) has already notified the various notary-public associations in China that their rejection of notarized documents from Taiwan constituted a violation of the agreement between two sides. Not surprisingly, the move hasn't triggered any positive response from Beijing.
Under the circumstances, the Mainland Affairs Council has understandably indicated that Taiwan may have to give China a dose of its own medicine. This means Taiwan may reciprocate by rejecting notarized documents from China. That of course is not a preferred option, as it would only escalate tension. However, it may be the only option left, if Taiwan wishes to preserve whatever dignity it may have in the cross-strait relationship.
SEF Secretary-General Shih Hwei-yow (許惠祐) said it best: "The adults [the governments] fight, yet the children [the citizens of the two countries] are paying for it." Yes, the ordinary folks on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are the real victims of this battle.
In fact, Chinese are probably more inconvenienced than Taiwanese. Most of the notarized documents rejected so far are certificates verifying the single status of individuals and the blood-relationship between people. These documents are primarily used to obtain marriage and divorce registration, as well as to prove rights to inheritance. This means that many Chinese brides won't be able to marry Taiwanese men and join their husbands in Taiwan. This is not to mention the large number of children born to cross-strait marriages who won't be able to inherit the properties of their Taiwanese fathers.
Others impacted include businessmen who can't conduct business in China because authorities won't recognize their company registrations from Taiwan.
Does it please Beijing to see innocent individuals, including their own people and Taiwanese businessmen whom they have been actively trying to win over, suffer this way? Stop this foolish game. Think rationally for a change.
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