Opening Green-Red Exchanges, Ko Wen-je Does What He Has to Do

 Opening Green-Red Exchanges, Ko Wen-je Does What He Has to Do

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

June 19, 2017

Translation of an Except

Panama broke off diplomatic ties with Taiwan, plunging cross-Strait relations into limbo. Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je is slated to attend the "Taipei-Shanghai Twin Cities Forum" in Shanghai on July 2. Most Blue and Green city councilmen of Taipei City believe that starting with the Lee Ming-che case, the WHA meeting, to Panama’s rupture of diplomatic ties with us, the other side of the Strait has been extremely unfriendly to Taiwan. The timing of the forum originally coincided with the CCP’s anniversary celebrations, thus the political goal of the forum exceeded city-to-city exchanges; for that reason, they recommended that the "Twin Cities Forum" be canceled. However, Ko Wen-je expressly stated that the forum was defined as cross-Strait city-to-city exchanges, and that he would not entangle too much politics, adding that cross-Strait relations had plunged into a deadlock, in which case exchanges would exhibit goodwill, and would create opportunities to dissolve the deadlock. He said further that currently cross-Strait exchanges were lacking, and people could hear mutual recriminations which were not good for Taiwan. The City of Shanghai also showed goodwill, agreeing to move the forum to July 2, thus the matter was settled.

In 2015, Ko Wen-je successfully went to Shanghai for the "Twin Cities Forum," blazing a trail for deep Green political figures and the Mainland. Last year, Sha Hailin, head of the Shanghai City CCP United Front Department, came to Taiwan at the head of a delegation to attend the forum, which was not canceled because of the change of ruling parties. Of course, also because cross-Strait relations met with special circumstances, it was difficult to avoid, outside of the forum, pointed exchanges targeting cross-Strait issues and disputes. Precisely because of the Twin Cities Forum, both sides had opportunities to listen to each other's voices; this was the added effects outside of the mechanism of the Twin Cities Forum, something precious and commendable. If we take a hardline, asking Ko Wen-je not to attend the forum, we would lose ground in the first place, and lose the opportunity to speak for Taiwan.

At this critical juncture, both sides of the Strait should impose self-constraint, returning to dialogue and consultations. Especially, the DPP authorities not only should desist from turning to confrontation, rather they should pro-actively, through intra-party and cross-party dialogues, erect anew a consensus on Mainland policy, restarting Green-Red exchanges, in order to effectively ease the cross-Strait situation, and taking a further step to talk with Beijing for a new foundation for exchanges. President Tsai should ponder concluding an interim measure with the other side of the Strait, bravely facing the open-ended option for future cross-Strait reunification, introducing forward-looking thinking, creating a policy that could at once cover national renaissance, reunification of the country, as well as allowing Taiwan to ensure self-identity and full autonomy. This is rather a future that the powers that be should pledge to the people.

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