The Republic of China—Striding Into Its 2nd Century
Building Peace Across the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan’s SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (center left) and his mainland counterpart ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin (center right) pose after signing the historic Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in Chongqing on June 29, 2010. (Courtesy of the Straits Exchange Foundation)
For more than six decades, prospects for building lasting peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and beyond have been overshadowed by the possibility of conflict. Today, there is growing hope that these troubled waters can be transformed into a sea of tranquility.
The historic dispute between the societies on either side of the strait over sovereignty of mainland China and Taiwan is rooted in the Chinese Civil War, waged on and off from the late 1920s until 1949 by communists attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of China. After the ROC government relocated to Taiwan in 1949, it continued to strive for the advancement of the democratic ideals on which the Republic was founded. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party regime consolidated its control over the mainland.
Beginning in the 1980s, the ROC underwent political democratization and economic liberalization. Since the lifting of martial law in 1987, Taipei has adopted progressively open policies toward Beijing, spurring economic, cultural and educational exchanges in the faith that increased contacts would cultivate trust and understanding.
Oceania and Yuan He mark a historic stride into the Port of Kaohsiung December 18, 2008 as the first mainland vessels to engage in direct cross-strait shipping. (Yeh Ming-yuan)
To foster such exchanges, Taipei set up the semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) in 1991 to negotiate technical and business matters with mainland authorities. Its mainland counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), was established shortly thereafter, underscoring the fact that Taipei and Beijing felt it was imperative to begin interacting on a basis of mutual respect. The first institutionalized talks were held in Singapore in 1993, ushering in a new era in cross-strait negotiations.
Despite the initial progress, bilateral communications came to a halt after mainland China conducted military exercises in 1995 and 1996, test-firing missiles into waters off the coast of Taiwan. Though resumed in 1998, the talks were once again suspended in 1999 by Beijing after then-ROC President Lee Teng-hui characterized cross-strait ties as a “special state-to-state relationship.”
Signing ceremony at the second round of Chiang-Chen talks. By December 2010, six rounds of cross-strait negotiation had been held and had produced 15 agreements and one understanding. (Jin Cheng-cai)
In the years following, Taiwan took a number of measures that demonstrated its good will even as dialogue remained suspended. These included relaxation of restrictions on imports from mainland China and mainland-bound investment, as well as direct transportation between the mainland and the ROC-governed islands of Kinmen and Matsu. Nevertheless, tensions persisted with burgeoning mainland military forces concentrated opposite Taiwan. By mid-2008, the number of missiles targeted at Taiwan had increased to around 1,300.
However, relations between Taiwan and the mainland have warmed since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May 2008 with the determination to create a new era of mutual understanding and enduring peace. To that end, the Ma administration has advocated that the two sides “face reality, pioneer a new future, shelve disputes and pursue win-win solutions.” Rather than expending precious resources on rivalry in the diplomatic realm, both should concentrate on institutionalizing economic and other aspects of their interactions on the basis of equality, dignity and reciprocity, adopting an attitude of “non-denial” of each other’s existence and legitimacy.
Further, the administration has maintained the status quo of “no unification, no independence and no use of force” under the framework of the ROC Constitution while adhering to the principle of “putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people.” This pragmatic approach to the mainland has brought about a new level of cooperation across the strait.
At Expo 2010 in Shanghai, the Taiwan Pavilion steals the show with a sky lantern-shaped exterior symbolizing peace and blessing. (Courtesy of TAITRA)
In June 2008, the SEF and ARATS resumed negotiations after a nearly decade-long hiatus. The talks addressed economic issues and practical interests, conforming with President Ma’s stated principles of putting economics before politics, pressing matters before less pressing ones, and easily resolved issues before difficult ones. By December 2010, six rounds of talks had been held and had produced 15 agreements and one understanding.
The first three rounds of talks—held in Beijing in June 2008, Taipei in November 2008 and Nanjing in April 2009—produced accords on direct cross-strait sea and air transportation, visits of mainland Chinese tourists to Taiwan, direct postal services, food safety, financial-sector cooperation and combating crime.
Three further rounds were held in Taichung in December 2009, Chongqing in June 2010 and Taipei in December 2010. These resulted in pacts on agricultural inspection, product standards, fishery labor affairs, intellectual property rights protection, medical and healthcare cooperation and, most notably, the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).
Taiwan-based businesses have contributed to mainland China’s economic rise by making massive investments of capital and technical and managerial expertise. (Jimmy Lin)
The ECFA, which was signed in June 2010 and came into force the following September, is aimed at normalizing trade and other economic ties across the strait. It calls for progressive elimination or reduction of tariffs on goods as well as the gradual opening of various service sectors to cross-strait investment and competition. In addition to boosting Taiwan’s economy, the accord, hopefully, will advance Taiwan’s integration with the Asia-Pacific region and its global deployment.
The world community has expressed appreciation for this new trend of economic cooperation. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for example, applauded the ECFA’s “historic completion” and encouraged further dialogue across the strait. Meanwhile, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated that the landmark accord will bring the two sides of the Taiwan Strait closer together and reduce friction, while the détente will bring about benefits to the wider Asia-Pacific region. As evidence, Singapore is engaged in talks with Taiwan on an economic partnership agreement.
Apart from the negotiation of agreements with the mainland, since May 2008 the ROC government has implemented a number of initiatives to improve cross-strait interactions, which include:
relaxing prohibitions on visits of high-level ROC officials to the mainland;
raising the cap on Taiwan-based companies’ investments in mainland China;
allowing the mainland’s Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily to once again post correspondents in Taiwan, while permitting its local media organizations to station reporters in Taiwan on a rotating basis;
adopting measures to encourage young people from mainland China to study in Taiwan, enabling them to appreciate its free and democratic society firsthand while helping youth in Taiwan gain a better understanding of the mainland;
protecting the rights of mainland spouses by relaxing employment and inheritance restrictions and reducing the waiting period for acquiring ROC identity cards to six years.
The China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe from mainland China performs in Taiwan as part of a drive to encourage cultural and artistic interchange. (Root Tang)
Movements of people across the strait have also increased rapidly since the ROC government began permitting private visits to mainland China in 1987. As of 2010, ROC citizens had made a total of 60.7 million visits to the mainland, while mainland Chinese made 4.8 million visits to Taiwan. To better serve the expanding tourism business, the ROC’s semi-official Taiwan Strait Tourism Association opened an office in Beijing in May 2010. Meanwhile, the mainland’s Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association opened an office in Taipei that same month, marking the first exchange between semi-official offices in more than 60 years.
Such positive interactions with the mainland have also benefited the island’s relations with Hong Kong and Macau. In April and May 2010, Taiwan and Hong Kong set up platforms for fostering closer economic and cultural ties, respectively establishing the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Cooperation Council, and the Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Cooperation and Promotion Council.
Taiwanese idol pop group F4 thrills crowds at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in mainland China. (Jimmy Lin)
As for the future development of cross-strait ties, President Ma in his 2011 New Year’s Day address called upon both sides to further enhance mutual understanding, build mutual trust, and dispel differences of opinion through in-depth exchanges. Instead of quarreling over political power, independence versus reunification, or Taiwan’s breathing room on the international stage, Ma suggests, both sides should encourage each other to grow in the core values of freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law.
Believing that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a common desire for enduring peace and co-prosperity, the Ma administration will continue to engage in negotiation rather than confrontation, and reconciliation instead of conflict. By combining each other’s strengths and focusing on common interests, the differences between Taiwan and mainland China can gradually be shelved and hopes for cross-strait and regional peace realized.
