Paul Keating, former Australian prime minister and a key figure in engaging his country with Asia, questioned Taiwan's current approach to cross-strait relations yesterday, saying that what Taiwan needs to improve its ties with China was not "dogmatism or diplomatic statements," but creativity of the likes that has made its economy so successful.
"All the creativity that you've displayed in your own economy, you've got to begin displaying in your foreign policy," said Keating, who served as prime minister of Australia from 1991-1995. "What you need is international recognition, not necessarily diplomatic recognition."
Keating, on his first visit to Taiwan, addressed local business leaders and leading officials at the Hyatt Hotel yesterday.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Among those in attendance were Chiang Ping-kun (
Keating, who reportedly played a key role in helping Taiwan gain admission to APEC, said that what would help Taiwan the most, like other countries in the region, is a realization of the importance of globalization and interdependence.
Using Australia as an example, a country that is big physically but lacking certain necessary re-sources, Keating stressed the importance of cooperation.
"We have to build coalitions to try to shape our external environment as we did with APEC and its leaders' meeting," he said.
Such an approach could be applied to cross-strait issues as well, to help Taiwan reach a "dignified and sensible solution to what's been a historic problem."
He said Taiwan should use "the sense and all that [it's] created ... to indicate to the PRC (People's Republic of China) just how important the economy of Taiwan is, not only to the region, but to the PRC itself," he said.
Much like East Timor, the search for a solution to the cross-strait debate hinges more on the stability of the settlement process than on the end goal itself.
"In East Timor the question was never whether people want to be autonomous or independent. It was how you pull the card out of the pack without the deck falling in," he said.
Keating saw such a solution coming to Taiwan at such a time when it does more to assert its iden-tity as an economic powerhouse, "as one of the countries bringing better standards of living to people, and not being simply recognized by Papua New Guinea," he said.
"It may suit the political soul to be recognized by Papua New Guinea, but how much diplomatically?" he asked.
"It's a pity that what you've created is best known only to you," he added. But if others shared this knowledge, "the framework with which you would seek a settlement with the PRC would become a more relevant framework than simply relying on thin diplomatic issues or rigid foreign policy issues."
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