Are Cross-Strait Relations Stabilized?Recently, the Japanese monthly, Voice, carried, in its December issue, the text of an exclusive interview with the leader of the Taiwan authorities, one section of his speech has attracted the attention of various quarters. The said section is to the effect that since he came to office on May 20, "the cross-Strait relationship remains in a stable state as it did before the general election," this shows that "the new government's method of handling the cross-Strait relationship should be seen as successful".This statement shows that the speaker was optimistic about his judgement on the current situation regarding the cross-Strait relations, and that he had no worry about the anticipated development prospect of future cross-Strait relationship and he was pleased with the way of his handling the ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits. However, what, after all, is the truth about the cross-Strait relationship? Since the leader of the Taiwan authorities came to office, the cross-Strait relationship has always been in a tense situation, Western observers likened the relationship to the state of a "fragile balance" or a "balance of terror". The Taiwan authorities refuse to accept the one-China principle, the political deadlock between the two sides has not been broken, there is no mutual trust between the two sides, a state of hostility remains, there is a more intense trial of strength between reunification and independence hidden under the superficial stability of the cross-Strait relations. As the Taiwan authorities are standing on the crossroad of deciding where to go, so is the cross-Strait relationship. It is very dangerous to allow the present deadlock of the cross-Strait relationship and the tense situation to continue for a long time, any subjective, willful move will likely become a blasting fuse that breaks the fragile, temporary and unstable balance and plunge Taiwan into calamities. Can this be a situation for the Taiwan authorities to take pride in"?! Since the leader of the Taiwan authorities came to office, the political and economic situation in the Island has been plunged into utter chaos: endless political struggle between people in power and those not in power, crises facing the administration, a 40 percent fall in the stock price within half a year, over NT$200,000 worth of per-capita property loss; the unemployment rate has soared to a new high over the past dozen years, the number of the unemployed has exceeded 300,000 people; social security has deteriorated, the suffering index of people has climbed from 3.97 percent to 4.85 percent, 20 percent of the local people want to migrate overseas; business people lack confidence in the investment environment and their wishes to invest in the island have come to a low point, large numbers of them have left the region, etc. There are many reasons for the emergence of these phenomena, but the occurrence of such a situation is closely related with Taiwan authorities' refusal to accept the one-China principle and their unsteady mainland policy, the tense cross-Strait relations and clouds gathering over the prospect of Taiwan. "Part of the financial and economic problems are caused by the cross-Strait relations" (said former deputy director Kao Kung-lien of Taiwan "mainland affairs council"). Can the leader of Taiwan authorities flatly deny this? People can't help asking: Where is the manifestation of the "success" of the "method used in handling the cross-Strait relations" as claimed by the leader of the Taiwan authorities? What is there in the present state of the cross-Strait relations that makes him feel complacent?! In fact, far-sighted personages at home and abroad, including Lee Kuan Yew, had long before made pertinent criticisms of Taiwan authorities' mainland policy. An active advocator and promoter of the policy "adopting patience in place of impatience" of the former Taiwan authorities, after his return to the island from a recent visit to the mainland, expressed his impressions by saying that he was "shocked" by the development, construction and work efficiency in the mainland; the policy of "adopting patience instead of impatience" does not work, Taiwan businessmen have left for the mainland as far as they can, and they can make money there, too; the question relating to cross-Strait ties is, in the end, a trial of economic strength, but now, as I see it, the time does not lie on the side of Taiwan; as the mainland grows ever-stronger economically, Taiwan is losing its bargaining chips for negotiation. It is believed that the worry of this personage is quite representative and influential in the Island. We wonder if the leader of the Taiwan authorities, after hearing this, still has the feeling or delusion that he can sleep peacefully without worry about the cross-Strait relations and continue to indulge himself in self-intoxication like Ah Q. if he deceives the Taiwan people and befuddle public opinion in this way, then Taiwan is in peril! Or will he wake up suddenly, change his course as soon as possible, and return to the common understanding of the one-China principle guiding cross-Strait relations which was reached in 1992, only by so doing can the cross-Strait relations be guided to "the state of stability"! A signed article by Qin Jing carried on the Overseas Edition of People's Daily |
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