Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) yesterday urged the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to set aside political differences and work together for the development of all mankind.
Lee said he believes cross-strait relations will enter a positive new phase in the process of cooperation.
"If, because of political reasons, we don't work together but let conflicts come between us, I'm sure the situation will be very grim further down this path," Lee said.
Lee, who is also convener of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) cross-party task force on cross-strait issues, made the remark when addressing a seminar on cross-strait relations held yesterday in Taipei.
In his speech, Lee harkened back to his experiences growing up to explain his ambition to contribute to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.
Lee said though he was only in the third grade when World War II ended, he started to take an interest in the world and the changes taking place around the globe.
From newspapers, he learned about the communist revolution in China and then the Chinese Communist Party taking power on the mainland from the KMT, Lee said.
Lee said he was most saddened by China's poverty and the fact the country had been widely dubbed "the sick man of East Asia."
"Since I was young, I've wanted to make some contribution to the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait," Lee said.
Lee said this was the reason he traveled between China and Taiwan when he was teaching in the US.
Though Taiwan and China have made progress respectively over the last 20 years, no improvement has been seen in cross-strait relations, Lee said.
"If people stepped back to look at the larger problems facing mankind, such as resource shortages and ecological changes, then they would see that political differences are not a serious problem at all," Lee said.
"The world should act together as if it is one family, or there will be no hope," Lee said.
He said scientists and ordinary people from Taiwan and China have a mission to find a way that promises sustainable development for mankind and, in the process, both sides may find the solution to their political differences.
"I'm a scientist and I don't know much about politics. But from a scientific point of view, both sides of the Taiwan Strait should share a beautiful dream, then cross-strait relations will see a new situation when both sides work together to realize that dream," Lee said.
Meanwhile, Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), secretary-general to the Presidential Office, called on political parties in Taiwan to join the cross-party task force and put aside their prejudices. Chang said it is time for reconciliation, since the election is already over.
The KMT and People First Party have sternly rejected the offer to join the controversial task force.
Chang Lin-cheng (張麟徵), a professor of political science at the National Taiwan University, expressed disapproval of the cross-strait task force.
Chang said the task force is a non-institutional body that will facilitate decision-making by a minority of people, which goes against the principle of democracy.
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