Douglas Paal: Cross-Strait Relations in a Twilight Zone

 Douglas Paal: Cross-Strait Relations in a Twilight Zone

Source: All Taipei Newspapers

June 23, 2016

Douglas H. Paal, former Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, stated yesterday that the current cross-Strait relations were in a twilight zone.

Paal made the above remarks during a seminar titled “Taiwan, Trade, and the TPP” held on June 21 by the D.C.-based think tank “Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.”

Three other panelists were Francis K.H. Liang(梁國新), chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Richard C. Bush, former chairman and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Matthew P. Goodman,  senior adviser for Asian economics who holds the William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy at D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Paal, who just returned from a journey to Beijing, stated after the seminar that cross-Strait relations were in a twilight zone. Paal went on to say that the Mainland described President Tsai Ing-wen’s inaugural address as an incomplete answer sheet to the test, but both sides established good atmospherics because on the one hand, Tsai responded to the Mainland’s comments calmly and expressed the intention to continue cross-Strait dialogues. One the other hand, Mainland spokesmen had not made stinging comments, which showed the Mainland’s pragmatic attitude in handling cross-Strait relations. Furthermore, Taiwan has also been careful not to cross Beijing’s red line in response, Paal added.        

According to Paal, from the US’s point of view, the current atmospherics across the Strait should allow cross-Strait relations to move forward. However, many issues were still pending as the main communication channel between Taiwan’s SEF (Straits Exchange Foundation) and the Mainland’s ARATS (Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits) had been suspended. Paal expressed the hope that these issues could gain progress with success.  

Paal stated that he noticed Beijing’s foreign policy commentators spent less time discussing Taiwan of late, which he said was a good sign, adding that maybe cross-Strait relations could move forward smoothly so that many issues could be handled pragmatically.     

Paal said that the U.S. enjoyed a relaxed vacation over the past eight years insofar as cross-Strait relations are concerned, adding, he would be happier if the vacation could last longer. When asked whether both sides had engaged in dialogues in private, Paal stated that he was unclear about such details, but from what he understood, “private communication was not an issue.”   

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