Wed, Mar 15, 2006 page3

• Chen says China, not the NUC, altered `status quo'

  • By Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTER
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  Ceasing the functions of the National Unification Council (NUC) and the application of the unification guidelines does not change the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait, nor does it violate the "four noes and one without" pledge made in the 2000 inauguration address, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said on Friday.

  "The current situation in the Taiwan Strait is that China refuses to recognize, respect and accept the fact that Taiwan is an independent, sovereign state," Chen said. "Beijing even regards Taiwan as part of its territory. It is not a relationship based on an equal footing."

  Chen made the remarks on Friday during an interview with the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. The article was published yesterday to mark the first anniversary of the enactment of China's "Anti-Secession" Law, as well as the 15th anniversary of the announcement of the Guidelines for National Unification.

  In the interview, Chen emphasized he still hopes to talk with the Chinese government and its leaders because cross-strait differences and disputes can only be resolved via peaceful dialogue.

  "We are willing to have contact with the Chinese government at any time and in any place under the principles of sovereignty, democracy, peace and equality," he said.

  One year after China passed the Anti-Secession law, Chen said China has not reduced its military threat toward Taiwan in any way, but rather has dramatically increased its buildup.

  "It has deployed 784 missiles targeting Taiwan along its southeastern coast. In the Cuban missile crisis, only 40 missiles were deployed," he said. "This number is steadily increasing at a rate of 100 to 120 a year."

  With the passage of the Ant-Secession Law last March, Chen said the "status quo" of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait has been unilaterally changed by China.

  While some have argued that Chen's decision concerning the NUC violates the "four noes and one without" pledge he made in 2000, Chen said the public must not forget that there is a precondition for his pledge, that China shows no intention of using military force against Taiwan.

  Chen said his decision to cease the function of the NUC is based on the thinking that his administration is not obliged to honor a resolution passed by the opposition Chinese National Party (KMT), and that the decision was made to counter KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) "ultimate unification" theory.

  "Mainstream opinion in Taiwan does not support the ultimate unification theory. In addition, Ma later changed his stance to acknowledge that independence is also an option for the people of Taiwan," the president said.

  Chen said the administration must respect the people's right to determine their own future and that the decision on the NUC simply secures that right.

  "Perhaps the people of Taiwan will choose unification as the nation's future. However, at the moment we cannot allow unification to be set as the only option for the country's future," he said. "It goes against the spirit of democracy as the unification council and the guidelines offer no other choice but unification. Since the international community largely recognizes Taiwan's democracy, we hope it will also respect our democratic choice."

  Chen lambasted Beijing for refusing to deal with his administration and instead courting opposition parties, saying that the behavior clearly shows China's "complete ignorance of the nature of democracy."

  "The Chinese Communist Party's refusal to deal with Taiwan's popularly elected government is to ignore the existence of Taiwan's people," he said.
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