China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)

A Translation

May 6, 2014 

 

A cross-Strait peace agreement will require a cross-Strait consensus. Achieving an internal consensus on both sides, as well as among East Asian nations with a strategic interest, will not be easy. Governments on both sides must remain true to their principles, pursue their ideals, free their minds, and be realistic, cautious, and discreet.

 

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Following the Sunflower Student Movement, a variety of street protests erupted one after the other. These represent the sudden outbreak of years of long-festering maladies. As an old Chinese expression has it, "Three feet of ice is not the result of an overnight chill." Since the Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian administrations, the ruling and opposition parties on Taiwan have been locked in internecine power struggles. Politicians have deliberately incited mob sentiment, resulting in the rise of populism. Taiwan has wasted nearly 30 years of precious time and become a cautionary tale for neighboring countries. Even the foreign media has issued alerts and expressed concern that the future of Taiwan is being decided on its streets. Taiwan scholars pessimistically note that Taiwan has become mired in a vicious cycle. Is the Republic of China about to perish? That may be an overstatement. But Taiwan is definitely sinking to the level of a Third World nation. That is the harsh reality we must face.

 

In April, the Hong Kong based China Review magazine published a special edition dedicated to a cross-Strait peace agreement. It identified issues relevant to cross-Strait relations, listing what ought to be included in a peace agreement and drew a road map showing how to reach such an agreement. It proposed a one China framework, urging the two sides to free their thinking, remain realistic, and face facts. The two sides must seek consensus, win-win, process-orientation, people first, and cooperation, in good faith. In particular, in the matter of the existence of the Republic of China, the cognizance of the special section of China Review is pragmatic and forward-looking. The articles reflected that mainland scholars now had greater goodwill and understanding regarding this matter. The Ma administration is currently mired in internal political turmoil. It is totally preoccupied, and can barely take care of itself. All it can do is view the good intentions of the Mainland as it would a rainbow over the horizon.

 

Leave Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian alone. Both sides wanted a cross-Strait peace agreement at one time. Lien Chan and Ma Ying-jeou have repeatedly urged a bilateral peace agreement. Just before the 2012 presidential election, Ma Ying-jeou yet again proposed a cross-Strait peace agreement. Later on however, he quickly backed away from it, by adding all sorts of preconditions, including "sufficient public support, national need, and legislative oversight." On the Chinese mainland, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jingtao had also urged the two sides to end hostilities and reach a peace agreement. After assuming power, Xi Jinping said in his report to the CCP 18th National Party Congress that a cross-Strait peace agreement would promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. This showed that the two sides are currently, or were at least at one time, willing to sign a peace agreement. Alas, no substantial progress whatsoever has been made so far.

 

Mainland China's current policy toward Taiwan is peaceful development treating the two sides as “one family." This is unlikely to change in the near future. However, it does not mean the Mainland has no timetable or expectations regarding cross-Strait relations. People in Beijing feel a tremendous sense of urgency about peace agreements and related issues. Some argue that the process should be like putting on a hat–the two sides should reach an agreement on basic principles and immediately sign a peace agreement. Other issues, such as military and security CBMs (Confidence-Building Mechanisms) and the cessation of hostilities can be addressed later without much efforts. Meanwhile, others argue that the process should be like stacking wood. The two sides should proceed from the bottom-up, from small to large , until they reach a peace agreement.

 

For Taiwan, if a cross-Strait peace agreement implies eventual reunification, for Beijing it acknowledges that peace is an ongoing process. It implies that Beijing acknowledges Taipei's jurisdiction and shared sovereignty. If people on both sides accept divided rule and shared sovereignty, this will help stabilize cross-Strait relations within the established framework. In turn, it will help reunification and secure unity and stability within the region. A peace agreement is of course worth the effort. But before the two sides can sign a peace agreement much homework remains to be done. First of all, the political status of the two sides must be defined. The matter of international intervention must be addressed. Issues such as the cessation of hostilities, the establishment of security CBMs, space for international activities, the mechanics of concluding the agreement, and the mechanics of implementation have yet to be clarified. As this newspaper has advocated before, a preliminary KMT/CCP peace agreement is worth considering.

 

Cross-Strait relations will not change as a result of the student protests. The current political climate may be difficult. But President Ma must remain true to his principles. The government agencies in charge and the SEF should handle the matter calmly, rationally, pragmatically and progressively. They should adopt a phased process, beginning with the easy and proceeding to the difficult, beginning with economics and proceeding to politics. They should assess the situation, promote cross-Strait exchanges and establish a pragmatic process. They should not rule out the discussing and the signing of a peace agreement. If anything, they must expedite it. They should take the initiative to put forward their own ideas in time, win the support of the international community and public opinion. Mainland agencies in charge of Taiwan affairs need to understand that the functioning of political and social forces on Taiwan is different from those on the Mainland in nature. Progress in cross-Strait relations is currently difficult. But in the spirit of "The two sides are one family," the Mainland must be patient. The Mainland has already invested considerable resources on Taiwan, but it has yet to win hearts and minds on Taiwan. It must not give up. It should dig more deeply to learn how to make people on Taiwan understand and be friendly with the Mainland. 

 

A cross-Strait peace agreement will require a cross-Strait consensus. Achieving an internal consensus on both sides, as well as among East Asian nations with a strategic interest will not be easy. Governments on both sides must remain true to their principles, pursue their ideals, free their minds, and be realistic, cautious, and discreet.

 

(Courtesy of China Times)