Mon, Mar 06, 2000 page1

• Lee willing to be cross-strait envoy

  IMPARTIAL SCHOLAR The Academia Sinica chief stayed mum on his political leanings as he outlined some key areas Taiwan had to tackle in the next five years

  • By Yu Sen-lun / STAFF REPORTER
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  Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) stepped out onto the limb of cross-strait relations yesterday, expressing opposition to talk of reunification for the time being because of a lack of trust across the Taiwan Strait.

  "Any negotiations made under pressure would be contrary to long-term interests," the president of Academia Sinica said in a speech entitled "Striding across the major fault lines: Holding Taiwan's next important five years" (跨越斷層-掌握台灣未來關鍵的五年).

  After the speech Lee refuted allegations he might accept the premiership after the presidential election, though he suggested he might be willing to head the Straits Exchange Foundation or to act as a cross-strait special envoy.

  

  President of Academia Sinica Lee Yuan-tseh gives a speech in Taipei yesterday about Taiwan's future. Lee said that he would be willing to act as a cross-strait envoy.

  PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  "If I could contribute some effort [to cross-strait affairs], I will be willing to do such things, he said.

  Lee also reiterated his previously-stated support for a transfer of political power from one party to another.

  "This is the path that a democratic political system should take," he said.

  At the same time, however, he refused to express public support for any candidate.

  "We are the masters of this country. We should not sit and hope that those in the spotlight would take us somewhere," Lee said.

  He also asked people not to put too much pressure on him to make political statements.

  "What if the pressure flattens (pronounced `bian,' as in Chen Shui-bian) my resolution to contribute to Taiwan."

  The Nobel laureate has been under pressure from the Chen campaign to agree to taking office under a future Chen administration.

  In addition to the cross-strait issue, Lee said Taiwan is facing four other hurdles it needs to "leap over," including education, technology, democratic constitutional reform and ecological protection.

  He also criticized the prevalence of local faction-driven "black-gold" politics.

  Lee said in the next five years, Taiwan will face the critical task of succeeding or failing as it deals with the five problems.

  Asked if he would head the SEF or act as a special cross-strait envoy, Lee said: "Of course such posts would impose less pressure on me compared with being premier."

  He said that if he could play a part in improving cross-strait relations -- letting Taiwan retain dignity and peace and allowing both sides to develop better -- he would be willing to participate.

  Lee, who has never publicly stated his ideas on cross-strait relations before, said there was no hurry for negotiations before both sides develop mutual trust.

  He also pointed out that in 50 years' time, with a clearer formation of the "global village," the concept of "nation state" will be very different and the so-called "one China" notion could have an entirely different meaning and connotation.

  "People in Taiwan are not alert to the impact of cross-strait relations on Taiwan's future," Lee said, adding that the Chinese government's recent white paper has made the US nervous. The Chinese government, he said, would indeed like to solve the "Taiwan problem," and had shown its urgency. But he said the US would never agree with the use of force and would not sit by if military force was used.

  Calling the tension across the Strait a product of "long-term misunderstanding and mistrust" he said many pro-independence Taiwanese believed independence is the only means to reach the goal of being masters of their own nation.

  But he said pro-unification Chinese believe the same thing -- in that they believe unification guarantees autonomy from "outside forces."

  "We should notice the common mentality between the two different ideologies," Lee said.

  "Our government has asked that the mainland be democratic and economically equal before being willing to talk, whereas the mainland insists on `one China' and `one country, two systems.' We should notice that without mutual trust, proceeding with cross-strait talks would not be helpful to development of either side."

  That, he said, is a long-term goal -- one that encompasses the next 50 years, by which time the context of the independence-unification debate could well be altered.

  Under such a framework, Lee said, relations by both sides could be adjusted in a positive direction.

  "If the whole world is fighting to preserve the the earth's natural resources, should there be a war across the Strait?" he asked.

  If Taiwan's experience of enterprise reform can be brought to China, he added, then it could be proved that Taiwan is able to help China "stride in a good direction."
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