Taiwan 'Cabinet' Reshuffle Won't Help Ties with the Mainland

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 22, 2002

Taiwan 'Cabinet' Reshuffle Won't Help Ties with the Mainland

Mainland experts on Taiwan studies did not expect a "cabinet" reshuffle on the island to have a major impact on cross-Straits relations. Due to Taiwan's stubborn mainland policy, cross-Straits ties will not make a turn for the better for a long time to come no matter who heads the "cabinet", they forecast.

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The comments came after the so-called Taiwan "president" Chen Shui-bian Monday named his chief of staff Yu Shyi-kun as "premier" to replace outgoing Chang Chun-hsiung.

Appointment will not have major effect on cross-Straits ties

"The appointment will not have a major effect on cross-Straits ties as Taiwan's 'premier' does not dominate mainland policy," said Wu Nengyuan, director of the Institute of Modern Taiwan Studies under the Fujian Academy of Social Sciences.

He said Yu will be merely implementing the mainland policy of Chen, who is the island's top policy-maker on mainland policy.

Wu, however, said how the new cabinet will implement the mainland policy and deal with cross-Straits issues does affect the development of relations between Taiwan and the mainland.

"So it takes further observation to have a clear knowledge of the final impact of the 'cabinet' reshuffle on cross-Straits ties," the director said.

Li Jiaquan, a researcher with the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it seems that developing cross-Straits ties will not be a priority for the new "cabinet".

Rescuing sagging economy should be Chen's first priority

Chen called for "more fighting for the economy and less politics, more communication and less confrontation" at a press conference to announce the appointment, signalling that the new "cabinet" will focus on rescuing the island's sagging economy.

As long as Chen does not change his mainland policy and continues to reject the one-China principle, it is hard for cross-Straits ties to warm up no matter who is the "premier", Li said.

Beijing has set the one-China principle as the precondition for resumption of any cross-Straits talks.

Taiwan Authorities Making Dangerous Moves Towards 'Taiwan Independence'

Taiwan authorities are continuing their "Taiwan independence" platform, and have recently staged a series of "gradual Taiwan independence" activities.

The first of such activities was to change the nameplate of its Information Office in order to eliminate the map of China on the original plate.

Next, an official order came into effect which urged all Taiwan institutions stationed outside the island to use the word "Taiwan" instead of "China" in their official name.

At the same time, the Taiwan authorities and the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan alleged to have made amendments to the constitution. Full Coverage

Gradual 'Independence' of Taiwan Won't Be Tolerated: Spokesman

The Taiwan leader has pushed forward activities for Taiwan's "independence" step by step recently, a spokesman for the Taiwan Work Office under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said January 15.

Any form of Taiwan's "independence" will not be tolerated, if the Taiwan authorities continue to push forward their process of the "gradual independence of Taiwan", the relationship between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits will be strained and the Taiwan authorities will have to take the unpleasant consequences. Full Text

Source: chinadaily

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