While not ruling out possible unification with China in the future, President Chen Shui-bian (
In his New Year TV address, the president sought to be conciliatory while laying down a bottom line on which rapprochement between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait could be effected.
Chen emphasized the cultural closeness of the two sides, saying "both sides of the Strait are of the same family, sharing the goals of seeking co-existence and prosperity."
Given this connection of being "brothers through thin and thick" (患難兄弟), Chen called on Beijing to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. The two sides, he said, should help, not hurt each other.
"We call on the government and leaders on the other side of the Strait to respect the ROC's survival space and its international dignity, and to publicly renounce the use of force," he said.
By doing so, Chen said, China and Taiwan could, "by seeking cross-strait trade, economic and cultural integration, build cross-strait mutual-trust on a gradual basis so as to seek permanent peace and build a new mechanism for political assimilation (
To effect this, Chen said that the "no haste, be patient" policy which sought to limit Taiwan's investments in China would be revised if not dropped altogether.
"The former government's `no haste, be patience' policy was necessary under its particular circumstances, but in the future, we will plan with foresight an economic and trade blueprint on the basis of a new vision for `proactive openness, effective management' (
Amid the language of conciliation, however, Chen laid down some basic principles that China would have to accept, willingly or unwillingly, if rapprochement was to succeed. "During the past century, the determination of the Taiwanese to be their own masters and to not bow before destiny has never changed," Chen said. "It is the basis of the Taiwan spirit" he said; borrowing an image for the Taiwanese writer Yang Kuei (
"We hope the other side of the Strait can understand the Taiwanese people's concern. If the other side cannot respect the 23 million Taiwanese people's desire to be their own masters, it will only create an unnecessary gap of understanding between the two sides of the Strait." Chen said.
On the contentious topic of "one China" Chen said this should not present a problem as the ROC Constitution already delineated the nature of "one China."
Chen said that he would aim as soon as possible to "establish a new mechanism or revise the existing mechanism" to coordinate with different viewpoints on cross-strait policy.
On the domestic front Chen said that the economic situation was likely to worsen in the near future and asked for the opposition parties to work together with the government for the interests of Taiwan.
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