Speaking about the outlook of cross-strait relations, a top cross-strait affairs official said yesterday that it is imperative to pass the NT$480 billion (US$15.24 billion) US special arms procurement budget to ensure regional stability.
Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chang Chun-hsiung (
China has employed a "soft strategy" when dealing with Taiwan, but it has not abandoned the use of military force against Taiwan, Chang said. Measures such as tariff exemptions on 15 varieties of Taiwanese fruits, and a willingness to lift a ban on Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, are all part of this soft strategy, he said.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
This strategy proves that China's overall attitude toward cross-strait relations in recent years has become more flexible, Chang said.
"China adopted the soft strategy because it wants to influence Taiwan's presidential election in 2008. It's a big challenge we have to face," he continued.
Chang said that the government's position in handling the cross-strait relationship is to stick to the principle of "reconciliation." He, however, said that it is difficult to establish a mechanism to create mutual trust between both sides of the Strait.
He then called upon the Legislature to pass the special arms procurement budget bill, which he said is necessary to maintain the cross-strait status quo and peace.
The SEF is a quasi-official body set up to deal with cross-strait relations in the absence of official ties between the two sides of the Strait. Chang, former premier and former secretary-general of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was appointed this January by President Chen Shui-bian (
Taiwan and China have held a series of unofficial exchanges after talks between Koo Chen-fu (
The original function of the SEF and ARATS was to serve as "white glove" -- or official in everything but name -- operations for cross-strait contacts. But the two associations broke off exchanges in 1999 after President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) declared that a "special state-to-state relationship" existed between Taiwan and China, this function has now nearly vanished.
"Although the functions of the SEF and ARATS were forced to stop in 1999, we still hope that bilateral talks can proceed withon issues beneficial to people on both sides," Chang said.
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