Financial Times
By Kathrin Hille in Taipei
Published: April 12 2008 18:54 Last updated: April 12 2008 18:54
(photo)
Taiwan and China took a first step on Saturday towards less hostile relations with an historic meeting between Hu Jintao, China’s president, and Vincent Siew, Taiwan’s vice president-elect.
The talks, on the sidelines of an economic forum in the Southern Chinese resort of Boao, represent the highest-level encounter yet between the two sides and signal that Taiwan’s incoming government is moving forward with its campaign pledge to unfreeze ties with the island’s mighty neighbour.
Relatively concrete commitments from both Mr Hu and Mr Siew to discuss bilateral economic relations also appeared to bode well for a quick start to dialogue as pledged by Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s president-elect, and Mr Siew both of whom were elected on March 22 and will take office on May 20.The People’s Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan. The island was a Japanese colony until 1945 and then came under control of the Republic of China government which was defeated on the mainland in the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
But Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and refuses to acknowledge the existence of a separate state on the island. It threatens to attack Taiwan if the island formally declares independence.
The two sides had a few rounds of semi-official dialogue between 1993 and 1998, but China broke off talks after Taiwan’s government took a more assertive stance on its sovereignty.
Mr Ma and Mr Siew have said Taiwan and China should resume dialogue on the basis of a vague tacit understanding that there is only one China but each side holds its own interpretation of it.
John Negroponte, US deputy secretary of state, on Friday called the meeting a good way forward in settling differences between the two sides. “Our talks were very frank, friendly and harmonious, and they achieved results,” said Mr Siew after emerging from the 20-minute encounter in remarks broadcast by Taiwanese television.
According to Xinhua, China’s official news agency, Mr Hu said cross-Strait economic exchanges were now facing a historic opportunity. Xinhua quoted Mr Hu as saying that under the “new situation”, China would continue to push talks on cross-Strait weekend charter flights and on mainland residents visiting Taiwan as tourists and to push for the resumption of cross-Strait dialogue.
These commitments reflect Mr Ma’s s top campaign promise which he is under pressure to deliver. The incoming government has pledged to establish a weekly non-stop charter flight link with China by July in what would be the first step to dismantling a decades-old ban on direct transport links.
Mr Ma has also promised voters that he will bring 3,000 Chinese tourists a day to Taiwan by July in what is hoped to boost the island’s flagging domestic economy.
Furthermore, he has pledged to restart semi-official dialogue with Beijing and subsequently negotiate a string of agreements that would help normalize economic relations with China. “This meeting can hopefully create the momentum we need to restart dialogue,” said Su Chi, Mr Ma’s key China policy aide who accompanied Mr Siew to Boao.
“After the agenda has been set so clearly at the top level, many problems at the working level can be avoided,” said Alexander Huang, a political scientist at Tamkang University and former China policy official in the Taiwanese cabinet.
Related news:
Hint of a China-Taiwan thaw as Hu Jintao, Vincent Siew meet
Taiwan News - The New York Times
The New York Times
0 個腳印:
Post a Comment