Beijing yesterday repeated calls that Taiwan president-elect Chen Shui-bian must accept the 'one China' principle without any ambiguity and promise to strive for national reunification.
Tang Shubei, secretary-general of the mainland's Association for Relations Across Taiwan Strait (ARATS), said yesterday in a seminar on mainland-Taiwan issues in Xiamen, Fujian province, that Beijing did not expect Mr Chen's inaugural speech could resolve all cross-strait disputes but warned that being ambiguous would not be acceptable. ARATS is a semi-official body set up by Beijing to handle cross-strait matters.
Mr Tang said the mainland was not prepared to let Taiwan maintain its own interpretation of a 'one China' principle as long as that implied Taiwan's status was uncertain or, indeed, independent.
Since his election on March 18, Mr Chen has said he was willing to make 'one China' a subject for negotiation between both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but would not agree that 'one China' would be the underlying principle behind all negotiations.
'We couldn't possibly think that a single speech could change over 50 years of conflict,' Mr Tang said. 'But he [Mr Chen] has said he doesn't want to create any new problems. So what does it mean by saying 'one China' can only be a topic for negotiation? 'The way I see it, making 'one China' into a topic [for negotiation] means that Taiwan is not a part of China. Speaking in practical terms, it means Taiwan's status is not determined. Now wouldn't this kind of proposal be creating new problems?' Mr Tang said Beijing would not agree to let both sides make their own interpretations of the 'one China' principle - to which both sides agreed in 1992 - if Taipei were to make that into a licence to move the island towards independence.
'Facts show that there are people who, under the slogan of 'each side having its own interpretation of one China', have put the 'two-states theory,' 'one China, one Taiwan' and 'Taiwan independence' into the 'each side having its own definition of one China',' he said. 'Under these conditions, how can you ask the mainland to agree to each side having its own definition of one China?' In Taipei, Mr Chen reiterated that his position on cross-strait ties had already been made clear after paying a visit to the retired former defence chief Soong Chang-chih.
Mr Chen, who has asked Mr Soong to stay on as a presidential strategic defence adviser, said that Mr Soong had advised him 'not to make too many concessions' in his dealings with the mainland.