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"WE
DO NOT WANT CONFLICT"
Q&A:
Taiwan's President-Elect
Sunday,
April 9, 2000; Page B01
When Taiwan's
president-elect, Chen Shui-bian, assumes office on May 20,
it will be the first time his Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) has taken power since the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) established
itself on the island after its forces fled communist China
more than five decades ago. The government in Beijing, which
opposed Chen's election on grounds that the DPP has long advocated
independence for Taiwan, has been making threatening noises
toward its neighbor across the Taiwan Strait. Last week, Chen,
49, talked with Newsweek contributing editor and Washington
Post columnist Lally Weymouth at his party's headquarters
in Taipei.
Many Americans
are worried about rising tensions between Taiwan and China.
Do you believe you are heading toward inevitable conflict
or do you envisage a peaceful solution?
Of course
we want to move in a direction of reconciliation and dialogue.
We do not want conflict. But in cross-strait relations, we
feel it is important to have goodwill and sincerity. Only
then can relations improve. But goodwill and sincerity cannot
be only one way.
Your party
has long stood for Taiwan's independence, a position that
is anathema to Beijing, which considers Taiwan a renegade
province. Has your position evolved so that you no longer
believe a declaration of independence is necessary?
We do
advocate the right to self-determination, but that is not
the same as advocating Taiwanese independence. Our platform
says that Taiwan's independence must be decided by the people
of Taiwan [in a referendum]. But having the right to hold
a referendum does not mean that one must immediately do so.
As president-elect, I will not initiate a referendum on the
independence/unification question. Unless China invades or
uses force, we will not declare independence unilaterally.
Beijing
has said as a precondition for [resuming] negotiations, Taiwan
must accept the "one China" principle--that Taiwan
is not a sovereign state, but part of the People's Republic
of China [PRC]. Will that ever be acceptable to Taiwan?
If the
"one China" principle is defined as Taiwan being
a province or local government of the People's Republic of
China, this is not acceptable to the vast majority of people
in Taiwan. Nor can [China] expect Taiwan to become the second
Hong Kong. How can they expect me, as president of this country,
to accept Taiwan's demotion in status to a province?
Under
what conditions would you be willing to discuss the "one
China" principle?
If the
mainland insists that acceptance of "one China"
is a precondition, it will be hard to resume dialogue. We
prefer to see it as an issue that can be discussed [in talks].
We can discuss the definition of "one China" and
arrive at a consensus.
Some say
that you, like President Nixon, will have more room to maneuver
with China since you and your party have supported independence.
We hope
talks can start with no predetermined outcome and that both
sides can respect each other on an equal basis. But if China
does insist on a precondition and an ultimate outcome, then
such talks would not appear equal.
Would
you like to visit mainland China?
It is
not a matter of whether I want to go but whether the PRC has
the goodwill to let me go. I would like to lead a delegation
on a friendship visit to the PRC. I also sincerely want to
invite China's leaders like President Jiang Zemin or Premier
Zhu Rongji to come to Taiwan. And I have invited Mr. Wang
Daohan [China's veteran cross-strait negotiator] to attend
my inauguration. But according to newspaper reports, they
are not interested in such an invitation.
Are you
satisfied with Taiwan's relationship with the United States
or would you like to see relations strengthened--for example,
more Cabinet-level visits?
I believe
there are three key areas for improving or consolidating the
U.S.-Taiwan relationship. The first is to continue upholding
the universal values of democracy and freedom that we have
championed. The second is to maintain peace and stability
in the Asia-Pacific region. The third is to continue to increase
trade and commercial relations between our two countries.
Do you
think the U.S. has been too pro-Beijing in the past?
We feel
that a democratic China will contribute to permanent peace
in this region. Therefore, we support U.S. efforts to improve
its relations with China. While we seek to normalize the cross-strait
relationship--especially in the area of business and trade--we
are happy to see the United States and China improve their
economic relations. Therefore, I am willing to support the
U.S. normalization of trade relations with the PRC. The improvement
of U.S.-China relations is not necessarily harmful for Taiwan.
Last week,
it was disclosed that a secret Pentagon report criticizes
the preparedness of the Taiwanese military. Do you agree with
the report?
I think
Taiwan's military preparedness has improved significantly
over the past few years. But, of course, there is also room
for improvement, especially in areas of professional training
and the ability to use modern or high-tech defense equipment.
We also need to improve U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation.
Do you
plan to continue the same arms-purchasing strategies as the
[outgoing] KMT government?
We have
only one national interest: The welfare of the people must
not be endangered by a transition in government. And therefore,
we have said that the [annual U.S.-Taiwan arms sale] talks
scheduled for April should not be delayed simply because of
a transition in government.
During
the election, both Beijing and the ruling party here claimed
that if you won, it would mean war with the mainland. Did
this affect the election?
The KMT
always plays the terror card, threatening people against voting
for the opposition. They do it every time, but this time their
threats failed to be effective. Premier Zhu's statement [threatening
intervention if Chen were elected] also failed to intimidate
the people.
Your victory
is reportedly due as much to your tough stance on corruption
as to your views on China. As president, will your priority
be fighting the corruption that has infected Taiwan's political
system or making peace with China?
If Taiwan
is unable to institute major reforms within the next five
years, it will hinder its development for the next 50 years.
This is our mission. But reform must take place in an atmosphere
of stability. Therefore, cross-strait peace must be maintained
in order for us to institute reforms.
That is
why in the two weeks following my election victory, I have
worked hard to stabilize the economic order so people would
have confidence in the new government. There have been many
misperceptions of myself and my party, and so there has been
some insecurity. We have managed to establish confidence in
the new administration. Although I got only 39.3 percent of
the vote, my approval rating today is at 75 percent.
How difficult
will it be to push aggressive reform when the KMT--the source
of much previous corruption--still dominates the Taiwanese
legislature? Won't you have to form alliances with the KMT
to get legislation passed?
The KMT
right now does hold a majority, but this may change. At the
end of next year, they will be facing elections. If they go
against the popular desire for reform, they will not do well.
So they are also under pressure.
One surprising
decision you've made is choosing Defense Minister Tang Fei--a
KMT party stalwart--as your prime minister. Why did you choose
him?
When the
appointment was announced, there was some shock initially.
But after people contemplated it, most agreed that it was
a good choice. We must follow through with our pledge to form
a clean government of capable people who cross ethnic and
gender lines, ideologies and party affiliations. Also, to
implement reforms, we must have cross-strait peace. Thus the
choice of Mr. Tang Fei. Although he is from the military,
he is reform-oriented, progressive-minded, a democrat, well-liked
by members of different political parties and popular among
the people.
Does Tang's
selection mean you are forming a coalition with the ruling
KMT?
No, this
is a DPP victory. It is a DPP-led government. It is not a
coalition between the DPP and the KMT. . . . Tang Fei is not
joining on behalf of the KMT; he is joining at the invitation
of the DPP. It's like in the U.S., where you have a Democratic
president, but he has a Republican secretary of defense, William
Cohen. It's still a Democratic administration.
After
a life of difficult challenges--a very poor childhood, imprisonment
at the hands of the KMT, a devastating loss in the 1998 Taipei
mayoral election--did you ever expect to be president-elect?
I grew
up in a very poor family, so to become president is a very
dramatic change. When I lost the mayoral election two years
ago, I was very sad and down. But in Taiwan there are many
miracles: A defeated mayor becomes president. This year, the
Taiwanese people voted for the man China disapproved of most.
This is just another of Taiwan's miracles.
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