Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairperson Jaushieh Joseph Wu stated while receiving the visiting delegation of the Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS) that the Government has taken a pragmatic and open stance toward engaging in peaceful cross-Strait exchanges based on a peace and stability framework for interaction before both sides of the Strait achieve a final agreement. In the future, the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China--or Taiwan and China--can seek to establish political relations in any form whatsoever. We would not exclude any possibility, as long as there is the consent of the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Chairperson Wu pointed out that due to the frequent trade and economic interactions across the Strait, political and non-political issues need to be negotiated. The Government has maintained an open stance on this matter by not restricting the issues to be discussed. However, it opposes setting any preconditions prior to any negotiation. Any issues, including political ones, may be discussed. China seems not yet prepared to conduct negotiations with us, and therefore has been trying to set up several political obstacles to block the resumption of cross-Strait negotiations.
Chairperson Wu also reiterated that after Taiwan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002, it had been hoped that the WTO could serve as a platform for both sides of the Strait to communicate with each other, and wherein any trade and economic issues could be negotiated. However, China has tried to evade from every opportunity and instead distorted the name of Taiwan’s delegation and engaged in repeated oppression of Taiwan. To transmit our Government’s goodwill to the other side of the Strait, we have urged China in June this year (2003) to revert to a previous stance presented by its former Vice Premier Qian Qichen in 2001 and 2002 proposing defining the “direct transportation links” as “cross-Strait routes,” and referring to them as an economic, not a political, issue, and therefore we need not acknowledge the principle of “one China.” But China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has denied these in its press briefing on June 30.
The visiting delegation was deeply interested in the views of the Taiwanese people on the “one country, two systems” proposal. Chairperson Wu pointed out that based on a survey entrusted by the MAC, the majority of the people do not identify with the “one country, two systems” as the solution to the cross-Strait issue. Although China has stated that Taiwan may continue to use the New Taiwan Dollar, retain its armed forces, and keep its government framework when it implements the “one country, two systems” proposal, the people of Taiwan already enjoy the aforementioned conditions. Moreover, the Republic of China will vanish upon the implementation of the “one country, two systems;” therefore, the majority of the Taiwanese people reject the “one country, two systems” idea.
The Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS) delegation was headed by Franklin D. Kramer, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. The members of the delegation included Walter B. Slocombe, former Under Secretary of Defense; John Fu, retired major general of the US army; Helmut Sonnenfeldt, Guest Scholar in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution; Harry Harding, dean of Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University; Banning Garrett, Director of the Asian Program of the ACUS; and Jonathan Adams, Assistant Director of the Asia Programs of the ACUS. The meeting was harmonious and lasted approximately one hour.