Statement of Kuomintang Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung

Statement of Kuomintang Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung

Spoken at the meeting with Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CCP
Source: KMT Headquarters

May 28, 2008

Sympathy and Humanitarian Concern Can Cross the Strait

I am honored by General Secretary Hu’s gracious invitation. This was the first time for me to lead a delegation of the Kuomintang of China (the KMT or the Chinese Nationalist Party) to visit Mainland China. A few days before the delegation left on the journey, we learned that Sichuan Province had suffered a devastating earthquake. Let me take this opportunity to express my deep grief over the victims of the earthquake on behalf of the KMT and the people of Taiwan. The KMT, as well as the people of Taiwan, will join in the efforts to assist the Mainland compatriots with post-quake reconstruction. As the saying goes, “Friends will come to your aid once you get in trouble,” and on top of that “the people on both sides of the Strait belong to the Chinese nation.” I call such sympathy and humanitarian concern borderless and they will enable us to surmount every challenge or difficulty. On September 21, 1999, Taiwan was hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake which took the lives of more than 2,400 people. At that time, the cross-Strait relations had begun to spiral downward. However, we could see the light at the end of the tunnel in bilateral ties by the time the May 12 Sichuan earthquake struck. The two earthquakes may provide a profound lesson for the future of the Chinese Nation: while neither side of the Strait is free from the dangers of natural disasters, we can work together to free our people from war, moving in the direction of benign, mutual-aid, and win-win cross-Strait relations.


Seizing a Chance for Benign Interaction

Seeing that a window of opportunity in the cross-Strait relations had emerged, I decided to lead a delegation to visit Beijing. Although I met General Secretary Hu three times before, this is the first time for me have a dialogue with him in my capacity as KMT Chairman, and has particular importance as it comes after the KMT returned to power. The two important elections held in Taiwan this year have proved that the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan calls for a better future, not “continued deterioration,” and benign interactions between the two sides of the Strait under a promise of reconciliation. On my journey to Beijing, I have tried to convey to you the current state of affairs across the Strait and express our confidence that now is the moment for both sides to reach reconciliation, establish mutual trust, and collaborate in creating a better future. Both the Kuomintang of China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are obligated to arduously fulfill these common desires of people on both sides of the Strait.


Pursuing Peace across Taiwan Strait

The delegation visited Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum in Nanjing on the first leg of the journey. We venerably reported to Dr. Sun, founder and National President of the Kuomintang of China, that the KMT had returned to power after eight years of unceasing efforts. We also promised that the KMT would certainly follow Dr. Sun’s Three People’s Principles to benefit the people of Taiwan as well as to pursue peaceful cross-Strait relations.


To Affirm the Five-point Vision of the Lien-Hu Meeting

In April 2005, in my capacity as KMT Vice Chairman, I participated in the first meeting between party leaders of the KMT and the CCP after a sixty-year separation across the Taiwan Strait. As for the mutual understanding on “Facing Reality, Creating a New Future,” both leaders began the reconciliatory dialogue by issuing a joint press statement; namely, the well-known Lien-Hu or Hu-Lien statement. This was one of the greatest milestones in modern history of the Chinese nation. Now, as Chairman of Taiwan’s ruling party, I undertake this visit, and I would like to further stress the “joint vision for cross-Strait peace and development;” the so-called “Five-point Vision,” which had been incorporated into the KMT Party Platform. This is the solemn pledge of the KMT to the people of both sides, and we will continue to carry it out as before.


To Affirm KMT-CCP Platform and to Hold Forum in the Future

The KMT and the CCP had jointly held several forums in the past three years, including three on economic issues, three on the protection of rights of Taiwanese businesses, and four on industrial standardization. We have also begun multi-channel contacts between the lower party officials of the two parties in order to promote cross-Strait economic cooperation and civilian exchanges. During the periods in which cross-Strait relations came to an all-time low and a lack of mutual trust prevailed, trust and efforts between the KMT and the CCP have indeed played the role of stability and facilitation in delicate cross-Strait relations.

By advocating pragmatic, rational and open mainland policy, together with outstanding KMT candidates and efforts of the all vigilant party members, the KMT won landslide victories in the January legislative and March Presidential elections. We deeply cherish the hard-won democractic results, and are sincerely aware of the concerns of the people, especially regarding our policy in terms of cross-Strait relations. Therefore, we will grasp this rare opportunity to help our comrades in the government to fulfill our policies. I also propose to hold a new cross-Strait economic or peace forum based on the results of the past forums at the right time. We can bring together the wisdom of all social elites to exchange opinions and enhance a consensus in order to promote cross-Strait “reciprocal cooperation and mutual interests.” Both parties should also value the contacts to accumulate mutual trust, expand interactions, and strengthen cooperation, making the KMT-CCP platform more stable with deep roots. By doing so, I believe, the KMT-CCP platform will make enormous contributions to cross-Strait relations in terms of “peace, development, and prosperity.”


To Promote SEF-ARATS Dialogue, Demonstrate Responsibility to People and History

Currently, the people of both sides have a strong motivation to pursue “peace, stability, development, and prosperity.” The KMT has regained power in Taiwan. On account of being responsible to the people and history, both sides should steadily seize this important opportunity and stick to the mainstream of “peace, stability, and development.”

Hence, I sincerely hope that both sides can “shelve disputes and pursue a win-win situation” based on the “1992 Consensus.” Simply speaking, the economy comes before politics. Both sides should take the first step in areas where there are fewer disputes and where mutual interests exist. Here, I propose a concrete suggestion: the consultation on equal footing, which had been suspended for too long, between the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), should be resumed and institutionalized in the shortest time possible. First, we should introduce the weekend cross-Strait direct charter flights, open Taiwan to Mainland tourists, and even accept and welcome a pair of beloved pandas to settle down in Taiwan soon. The people of both sides have high expectations about these events, and neither government should seek any excuse for further delay. “Everything is in order except what is crucial.” We hope that our visit this time will break the icy cross-Strait relations to open a new era and to fulfill the expectations of the people of both sides.


Taiwan Identity Does Not Equal Taiwan Independence

Of course, we cannot deny the fact that some Taiwan people are worried about the development of cross-Strait relations. Regarding this question, the doubts can only be dissipated by continuously demonstrating the positive side of reciprocity and cooperation in cross-Strait relations and bring fruitful results to the public during the reciprocal exchanges.

“Practice is the sole criterion for judging truth,” said Deng Xiaoping. The implementation of charter flights for the weekends and allowing Mainland tourists to visit Taiwan are in accordance with what Deng said. That is, the correctness of the policy is examined through practice. The doubts within some people’s mind could be, therefore, dissipated through positive results.

Here, I would like to solemnly point out that Taiwan people’s desire for security, dignity and reasonable international space are the consensus reached by Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties. It is also something we would like to uphold and strive for. However, it is very clear that Taiwan identity should not be distorted as Taiwan independence, which is unfavorable for the development of cross-Strait relations and does not advance for the common benefits of people across the Strait. This is something that we cannot accept.


I Hope an Invitation Will Be Extended to ARATS Chairman to Visit Taiwan in Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of Koo-Wang Talks

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Koo-Wang Talks in Singapore. It is also the 10th anniversary of Koo-Wang meeting in Shanghai. In November 2000, as Deputy Secretary-General of the KMT, I went to Shanghai to visit Mr. Wang Daohan. I benefited from meeting with him. Sadly, Mr. Koo and Mr. Wang have since passed away. However, the contributions and efforts made by both of them have made a great impact on developments in cross-Strait relations.

Last month, Taiwan’s media aired special coverage for the 15th anniversary of the Koo-Wang talks, which was well-received by the public. I remember that a consensus was reached during the Koo-Wang meeting in Shanghai that Chairman Koo would invite Chairman Wang to visit Taiwan. However, the visit never materialized due to a turn of events. 【In 1999, then President Lee Teng-hui described cross-Strait relations as a “special state-to-state relationship during an interview with a German radio station.】Now, the board of directors of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) has been completely reshuffled. Vice Chairman of the KMT Chiang Pin-kung has taken the post of SEF Chairman. Meanwhile, the Association for Relations Across the Strait (ARATS) is going to undergo its reorganization. It is expected that the SEF and the ARATS will resume the dialogue that has been interrupted for 9 years. Here, I would like to say that after the SEF and the ARATS have completed their reorganizations, I sincerely hope that the SEF Chairman would invite the ARATS Chairman to visit Taiwan at an appropriate time, so as to mark a milestone in the development of cross-Strait relations.


May the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Succeed.

Finally, I would like to give my best wishes to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It is my sincere hope that all the outstanding athletes from around the world will succeed in setting new Olympic records and that they come away with wonderful impressions of the Beijing Olympic Games.

The fact that Beijing was chosen to host the 2008 Olympic Games is an honor for all Chinese people. In the morning, I visited The National Stadium and the baseball field where the Olympic baseball games will be played. When I arrived at the baseball park, I imagined the sight of baseball players from Taiwan playing a game there. Our pitchers were throwing a no-hitter while our batters were slugging in runs throughout the game.

I hope my dream comes true! Moreover, I also trust that our Mainland Chinese compatriots will give their support to the players from Taiwan.


Conclusion

Cross-Strait relations should not to be considered a zero-sum game. We must pursue a win-win situation. The two sides share the same blood, culture, religion, and customs. We have no reason to confront each other. Instead, we must have the wisdom to follow the principles, “use communication to replace isolation, use consultation to replace confrontation.” Let us, the two governing parties, usher in a new era, and abide by the principles “respond to public opinion, be pragmatic and pursue truth, seek commonality while shelving disputes, and create a new future,” to “jointly create peace, jointly promote stability, jointly strive for development, and jointly enjoy prosperity.” What I have said are my humble opinions. I welcome General Secretary Hu’s kind advice, and I will take it to heart. Thank you very much!

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