Tue, Jul 19, 2005 page3

• AIT official urges consensus on defense

  CHINA TIES While positive about the future of cross-strait relations, David Keegan said that Taiwan must maintain its defenses to be able to enter negotiations with Beijing

  • By Shih Hsiu-chuan / STAFF REPORTER
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  The deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) encouraged Taiwan's political parties to move beyond partisanship to advance their common interests in cross-strait defense and stability, and reaffirmed that the governments on two sides of the Taiwan Strait should pursue dialogue without preconditions as soon as possible.

  David Keegan made the remarks yesterday while delivering a speech at a forum on East Asia Security held by the Foundation on International and Cross-Strait Studies (中華歐亞基金會).

  Keegan indicated that AIT is somewhat upbeat about the cross-strait relationship.

  

  David Keegan, deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), right, and Richard Bush, former AIT chairman and senior fellow and director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, left, attend a forum on East Asia Security held yesterday in Taipei.

  PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

  "We believed that trends are now moving in a generally positive direction, and we are cautiously optimistic that Beijing and Taipei will be able to further ease tensions and resume pragmatic contacts on economic and technical issues," Keegan said.

  "It is important for Taipei and Beijing to continue to take actions that will build trust between the two sides and lay a foundation for a political-level dialogue further in the future," he said.

  Despite China's passage of the "Anti-Secession" Law, Keegan said that it has raised international awareness of the cross-strait issue and put pressure on Beijing to show some measure of goodwill toward Taiwan.

  The recent China visits by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) are only the first steps toward opening the channels of communication across the Strait, Keegan said.

  He stressed that "we call on Beijing to follow up on these contacts with a dialogue with the democratically elected leaders of Taiwan. Beijing and Taipei should pursue dialogue without precondition as soon as possible."

  Keegan said Premier Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) June 13 response to China's offers on direct flights, agriculture and tourism were creative and constructive signs.

  "It seems that both sides are moving towards a compromise on priorities that would permit discussions on cargo and passenger charters flight simultaneously," he said.

  Talking about the cross-strait military balance, Keegan said Taipei must maintain a defense that is an effective deterrent to reduce the chances of a cross-strait conflict.

  "Taiwan cannot negotiate with China from a position of strength if Beijing calculates that it has the means to intimidate Taiwan at a time of its choosing," he said.

  Since an agreement hasn't been reached on the country's defense budget, Keegan said that "the challenge for Taiwan's leaders is to move beyond partisanship to advocate common interests in cross-strait defense and stability."

  Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), while giving a speech earlier yesterday, said that the impasse in cross-strait dialogue is because of the preconditions set by the Chinese government.

  Taking the issue of direct links as an example, Wu cited Beijing's preconditions that Taiwan agree to the "one China" principle and the "1992 consensus." China also considers cross-strait direct flights as "domestic affair."

  "These preconditions are not acceptable to us and prove that China is not ready to negotiate with Taiwan," Wu said.

  "Based on the experience of negotiating the issue of Lunar [New Year] charter flights early this year, the Chinese will remove all preconditions if they are ready to talk," Wu said.

  "It's not that Taiwan is not willing to talk about political issues with China. The problem is that we can't accept China's preconditions," he said.

  While some have speculated that Beijing would exert its political manners more flexibly with its emerging economic power, Wu, however, said that, "When the Chinese are dealing with the Taiwan issue, they are extremely hawkish."

  Despite China's hawkish manner, Wu said that the nation's approach would be to continue to use a spirit of goodwill and conciliation, promising that Taiwan will pursue peace and negotiations with China.
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