The first oral history by a former Taiwanese president -- Witness Taiwan: President Chiang Ching-kuo and Me (見證台灣:蔣經國與我) -- was published yesterday. Historians from the Academia Historica have interviewed and talked with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) based on Lee's diaries from his time as vice president. The book records Lee's memories from his participation in the making of policy and offers explanations and assessments of these memories. In the book, Lee reveals many political secrets, and talks about Chiang's China policy during his later years.
The entry for Sept. 21, 1987, in Lee's diary notes that Chiang "on the previous Friday" had convened a meeting to discuss measures regarding family visits to China by retired soldiers. The entry goes on to describe Chiang's instructions that no limitations should be applied to the policy which should be as far-reaching as possible in order to achieve its goal of public appeal.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
He also mentions that late president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) announced the policy in the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Central Standing Committee's meeting on Sept. 16, 1987, thus opening the gates for cross-strait exchange. According to the book, Chiang, concerned that the Republic of China on Taiwan would make reunification with China difficult and made this far-reaching decision to ease tension in the Taiwan strait.
In his diary, Lee judges that the publicity and promotion given to this policy exceeded its actual value. Whether the purpose of the policy was to smooth out wrinkles in the cross-strait relationship remains unverified. Yet it is indeed an extraordinary act given the political climate at that time.
Given China's attitude when losing to Taiwan the ownership dispute over the Kuang Hua Dormitory in Japan, bought by the ROC embassy in 1961,, Lee wrote in his diary that China had been unnerved to a certain extent. He also said it is very possible that Chiang sensed this irritation on China's part and decided to announce the policy in the hope of showing Taiwan's goodwill and halting the escalating of cross-strait tension.
Lee further indicates in his book that Chiang wanted him to study the effects of the family visit policy. According to Lee, Chiang's prime intention was to keep China from completely swallowing Taiwan.
Lee also says that at a time when everyone was worrying that the family visit policy would keep those who visited from returning to Taiwan, Chiang proved to be more far-sighted. Coming from the mainland, Chiang understood the fact that veterans made up the majority of the people eager to visit their families in China. Moreover, having been the director of the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen (
Lee comments that Chiang's wisdom was confirmed by facts -- only a few of the tens of thousands of veterans visiting China chose to stay there.
In Lee's opinion, as Taiwan rides the waves of an economic boom, democratization and localization, China has started to feel that there are other factors that may make reunification more difficult.
On September 26, 1984, the Chinese and British governments agreed to apply the "one country, two systems" model to Hong Kong. In the National Day speech that year, Chiang stressed that the wishes of the people of Hong Kong had to be respected. In his October 10 , 1984, diary entry, Lee wrote that "The president asked me how to [deal with] the statement concerning Hong Kong," and during talks, Chiang then said that since China had adopted the "one country, two systems" policy, he would adopt the "three noes" policy.
Lee points out in the book that the "three noes" policy may have been the result of a Chinese wish to contact Taiwan for talks, and since Chiang didn't agree to that, he declared the "three noes" policy -- no contact, no negotiation, no compromise.
Lee says in the book that he had a very good understanding of the "three noes" policy, and from that time on, he considered ways of breaking the policy and adopting a more moderate approach to the cross-strait relationship. He also suggested to Chiang that he adjust the policy, but Chiang did not adopt Lee's suggestions.
Lee also says that changes to the "three noes" policy only appeared after Chiang died and Lee took over as president and abolished the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion (
Apropos of the policy to allow old soldiers to visit relatives in China implemented in 1987, Lee also mentions a visit by Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) who met Chiang at Sun Moon Lake. Lee Kuan Yew wanted to act as a mediator between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits, and he may also have secretly brought messages from China. Lee Teng-hui himself, however, did not participate in the meeting.
Lee believes that Chiang didn't have a substantive long-term cross-strait plan, but he still proposed the "three noes" policy. Nor would he listen to the China policy suggested by Lee Kuan Yew, but he still gave Lee Kuan Yew a lot of advantages, including preferential trading conditions and the training of Singapore's army.
Translated by Wang Hsiao-wen and Perry Svensson
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