Wed, Dec 08, 1999 page2

• China hopes Macau handover will help woo Taiwan

  REUNIFICATION A recent report claims China plans a propaganda campaign to use the successful handover of Macau to lure Taiwan back into the reunification fold

  • STAFF WRITER WITH DPA
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  Ahead of the handover of the Portuguese colony of Macau to Chinese sovereignty Dec. 19, China is reportedly gearing up for a new round of reunification propaganda aimed at Taiwan -- despite the constant rejection of China's "one country, two systems" model by Taiwan's government.

  "Beijing should think about why the model is rejected by Taiwan," said cross-strait specialist Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) of National Cheng-chi University's Institute for International Relations (國立政治?j學國際關係研究????.

  "It's like selling a product. If your product doesn't sell, then shouldn't you try another approach?" he said.

  The latest reports of China's plans came in a Hong Kong newspaper yesterday, which quoted an unnamed Beijing source saying China wants to devise ways to make the "one country, two systems" model -- being used in Hong Kong and soon in Macau -- more palatable to Taiwan.

  "Beijing wants to give a new push to Taiwan's reunification after the successful Macau handover," the source was quoted saying.

  One of the suggestions floated was to give Macau more favorable policies to lure Taiwan investors, the article stated.

  But Taiwan has repeatedly balked at such plans.

  Officials from the Mainland Affairs Council have said consistently that the "one country, two systems" model is inapplicable to Taiwan, because it is "neither Hong Kong nor Macau."

  "Taiwan has a different historical context from Hong Kong and Macau, and more importantly, it has a different international context," Hsu said.

  Taiwan's position is that while Hong Kong and Macau were European colonies transferred back to Chinese sovereignty by agreement between governments, the Republic of China has always been a sovereign country.

  "It's Beijing's wishful thinking that Taiwan is willing to accept their model of reunification. The `one country, two systems' model is too vague, it gives them a lot of flexibility," Hsu said.

  Meanwhile, the Communist Party Central Committee's leading Group on Taiwan Affairs, headed by President Jiang Zemin (|蕞A民), is said to be organizing a conference next year to review its policy on Taiwan reunification.

  The paper reported that the reunification efforts would be aimed at the successor to president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) after the election next March.

  Taiwan outraged China with its claim to statehood in July.

  Beijing is "guardedly optimistic" that two of the three candidates -- Vice President Lien Chan (3s戰) and independent hopeful James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- will move away from Taiwan's "two states" policy, said the article.

  Some Taiwan experts in Beijing have advocated that Macau should be given more leeway as a bridge between China and Taiwan.

  However, the paper reported that Beijing was still following a "double-fisted" policy towards Taiwan, which meant that while olive branches were offered, military preparations for a possible invasion would continue.

  Beijing has said Taiwan could have its own army if it accepts the "one country, two systems" model, but most Taiwan politicians, including Soong and Lien, have rejected the offer.
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