DPP-CCP Interactions: Will President Tsai Please Stand Up and Take Action

 DPP-CCP Interactions: Will President Tsai Please Stand Up and Take Action

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

May 3, 2017

 Translation of an Except

With May 20 approaching, President Tsai has begun to intensively grant exclusive interviews with the media, both foreign and domestic, expounding in detail her views towards cross-Strait relations. Through these exclusive interviews, we may clearly understand the path of the Tsai government's cross-Strait policy. During her exclusive interview with Reuters, President Tsai proposed a narrative that both sides of the Strait answer the questionnaire. During her exclusive interview with the United Daily News, she further proposed "three new" advocacies for interactions in cross-Strait relations, i.e., "new situation, new questionnaire, new framework for interactions." Simply put, President Tsai called on the Mainland to think anew about cross-Strait relations based on the needs of the new situation.

Cross-Strait relations are highly complex and sensitive; both sides of the Strait have domestic pressure that each has to face. After endlessly accumulating mutual trust, both sides need to harmonize internal views with time and energy on the one hand, and on the other, must endlessly release goodwill, leaving the hardliners of the opposite sides speechless. In so far as the Mainland is concerned, popular emotions unfavorable to Taiwan are incessantly rising to new heights, hard-line rhetoric has also been leaking out from the decision-making system. This is definitely something that could not be summarized by President Tsai's statement: "long-term thinking of the bureaucratic system." President Tsai should fully understand that “both sides of the Strait belong tone China” is extremely important for the Mainland. This is neither a bargaining chip nor could it be a matter of compromise or concession; it is an inexorable core question.

Of course, President Tsai also has her own predicament she must face. Earlier, government agencies and Green camp legislators pushed for “de-Sinicization” policies, eliciting questioning from various circles on both sides of the Strait. Recently, radical groups have endlessly incited incidents to stir up troubles in cross-Strait relations; moreover, deep Green figures have exerted pressure on her, one after another, demanding that the Plebiscite Act be amended now, and even demanding that the Premier and some Cabinet ministers be replaced. This has undoubtedly created endless obstacles in her efforts to maintain the status quo, making the Tsai government tired in coping with the situation. If she meets with a setback in the WHA case, as expected, heavy pressure from the pro-independence elements could be imaginable.

Instead of being hijacked by the deep Green, and at the same time still not getting understanding from the Mainland, President Tsai may rather look for a new path, seeking a plan for resolving this question in a comprehensive manner. One feasible direction is handling the question of the DPP's "Taiwan Independence Party Platform." In July, the DPP is going to hold its Party National Congress. President Tsai should initiate an intra-party debate on the continued existence or repeal of the "Taiwan Independence Party Platform," allowing the whole DPP party to recognize where the problem of the Taiwan independence path lies. Especially the elders of DPP factions and DPP legislators must abandon the attempt to manipulate the issue of reunification versus independence, allowing the governments on both sides to return to the path of the Constitution and the related laws. In fact, if the DPP can handle the question of the "Taiwan Independence Party Platform," the Mainland will be compelled to adopt goodwill actions that Taiwan can feel.

It is noteworthy that although official interactions across the Strait have been suspended, cross-Strait contacts and explorations have never stopped. Lamentably, these kinds of approaches may be helpful to, through communicating and relaying messages, reach the goal of avoiding misjudgments, however, to truly realize a big breakthrough in cross-Strait relations, it requires formal pronouncements on the table. This is not only a demonstration of good faith and responsibility, more importantly, it is a letter of guarantee to the other side, which, under the circumstances of seriously insufficient mutual trust across the Strait, is “an act of goodwill” far more meaningful than “rhetoric of goodwill.” 

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