President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he would not negotiate unification with China even if he is re-elected, and encouraged the public to discuss whether Taipei and Beijing should sign a peace treaty.
Ma said he had made it clear that the guidelines for his cross-strait policy was to uphold the “three noes,” namely no discussion of unification with Beijing during his term, no pursuit or support of de jure Taiwanese independence and no use of military force to resolve the Taiwan issue.
He added that he would not negotiate unification with China during his four-year or potential eight-year term.
“My goal is to buy as much time as possible so that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, who are all yan huang zisun [炎黃子孫, or descendants of emperors Yan and Huang], can find a solution to our disputes with the collective wisdom of the Chinese nation,” he said.
“It cannot be done within a short period of time nor does the problem need to be resolved right away. It will best serve the interests of both sides if we can take things one step at a time,” he said.
Ma made the remarks during a press conference to mark the eve of his second year in office at the Presidential Office.
Regarding the peace pact, Ma said it was among the “five common visions” touted by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) in 2005 and these have been added to the KMT's platform.
However, no timetable has been set for their realization, he said.
“Because there is no timetable, we cannot predict when we will discuss the peace agreement,” the president said. “However, if the atmosphere is right and sound, maybe an opportunity will arise.”
When asked by the Taipei Times why Taiwan and China should ink a peace treaty since the Chinese civil war was a matter between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Ma said it was wrong to say the proposed accord had nothing to do with Taiwan simply because it was a matter between the two parties.
Since the Taiwanese government had abolished the Temporary Provisions Effective during the Period of National Mobilization for the Suppression of the Communist Rebellion (動員勘亂時期臨時條款) in 1991, the Taipei Times asked whether a better solution would be for China to annul its “Anti-Secession” Law and renounce the use of force against Taiwan.
Ma said it might be worth discussing whether the two sides should sign a peace treaty, but added that the proposed accord “has a close relation with Taiwan.” He did not elaborate.
In the address he made before the question-and-answer session, Ma put forward his vision of creating what he called a “golden decade.” He proposed a so-called “six-country” statement and urged Taiwanese to work together toward the six goals. They are to build a strong country based on innovation, revive the country by promoting culture, initiate environmental protection measures to save the country, consolidate the country with constitutional politics, promote social welfare to make the country more secure and ensure peace to protect the country.
Ma promised to push political and economic reform, saying he would not waver even if it meant his party would lose votes or his popularity dropped.
However, he said he opposed constitutional reform — an idea he floated on the campaign trail. Ma said before the public reached a consensus on the issue, the administration would carry out reforms without amending the Constitution.
On the possibility of meeting Chinese leaders, Ma said that while he did not reject the idea of meeting Hu, the time was not optimal for doing so as there were many more pressing matters and economic problems to deal with before both sides could move on to political issues.
Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, said that the results of recent legislative by-elections and the irrigation association elections had been unsatisfactory, but added that the November elections of five special municipalities would be different in size and significance.
On arms procurement, Ma said the administration’s resolve to purchase F-16C/D fighter aircraft and submarines was resolute and that Taiwan must have defensive weapons to protect itself.
However, the country will not engage in an arms race with China and will instead use its resources to build a small but strong army to deter any potential military threat.
Regarding the “secret channels” with China, Ma said it was normal for two vibrant economies to have multiple communication conduits.
When it comes to the exercise of public power, he said, the Straits Exchange Foundation and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, are the only two authorized bodies.
In response, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said the president's words “rang empty” and called on him to first focus on his earlier campaign promises, including one to boost Taiwan's annual economic growth to 6 percent and lower unemployment to 3 percent.
Echoing remarks made earlier yesterday by former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), DPP spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said: “President Ma should have added 'slogan-governed country,' to his 'six-country platform.'”
The opposition party also said that the president's speech was overly focused on developments that worked in the interests of large corporations at the expense of environmental and other social issues.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VINCENT Y. CHAO
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