Wed, Oct 16, 2002 page8

• Editorial: Summit would yield naught

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  The proposed meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) was from the very beginning unlikely to generate any political effect. For this reason, whether the meeting is actually ever held or not does not matter because the DPP and the PFP are diametrically opposed to one another on many major scores.

  However, the likelihood of a meeting taking place lessened considerably after Soong said publicly that he wanted to convey to the president the "public opinion" of the Chinese-speaking expatriate communities in the US, Taiwanese businesspeople in China and the local public.

  Aren't the differences between the DPP and the PFP over national identity clear enough? While in the US, Soong has promoted "one country, two systems" and criticized former president Lee Teng Hui's (李登輝) "special state-to-state" reformulation of cross-strait relations as well as efforts toward independence for Taiwan. His platform has long put the two parties at odds. Most PFP supporters in the expatriate communities in the US are immigrants who resent the Taiwanese people for their hostility toward the Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) regime and who fear the people of Taiwan becoming their own masters. When first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) visited the US recently, these people publicly opposed her visit. These people are going against the welfare of the people of Taiwan and their right to survive. It is not difficult to figure out what kind of public opinion Soong will be able to reflect on their behalf.

  PFP legislators have been trying to persuade the government to immediately open direct links with China. They have constantly lambasted the government from the floor of the Legislative Yuan on this issue and insulted Mainland Affairs Council Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for her efforts to insure a more orderly process. Obviously, there is a wide chasm between the DPP's and the PFP's attitudes toward Beijing.

  Taiwan should certainly engage in trade, transportation and investment with China, but the fundamental premise for such actions is that Beijing must respect Taiwan's status as an independent sovereignty and renounce the use of force against Taiwan. Only then will direct links will have any significance.

  However, at a time when the economy is in a precarious situation -- due to the large numbers of firms that have migrated to China and left their debts behind -- and the growth in unemployment, it is unwise to open direct links with China or encourage the acceleration of capital outflow.

  Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China should understand this reality. They should exercise patience and put up with the temporary inconvenience for the sake of Taiwan's sustainable development and survival. They should never let themselves be misled by absurd reasoning such as "business-people have no motherland."

  We must remind Soong and his PFP legislators that they should not keep spouting off about how representative they are of the public opinion in Taiwan. After all, the PFP represents just approximately one-third of the people of Taiwan. And given Soong's track record, whether he can make any great suggestions or contributions to the nation is highly questionable.

  However, the DPP was criticized for backtracking on its words during Monday's negotiations with the PFP. The party should abstain from such acts in the future.
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