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166 Taiwan Development Perspectives 2009
To bridge a hiatus of more than eight years in the
cross-Strait relations is an awesome undertaking. President
Ma Ying-jeou took a series of measures immediately
after his administration was sworn in to make up
the loss of time and opportunities as well as the huge
economic loss incurred to the Taiwan businesses on the
mainland.
Cross-strait talks between the two quasi-official
organizations were resumed right away. The
long-awaited non-stop chartered flights between the
two sides were started in July 2008.
Last November, to reciprocate SEF Chairman P. K.
Chiang’s visit to the mainland in June, Mr. Chen Yunlin,
chairman of the Association for Relations Across the
Taiwan Strait (ARATS), the highest-level representative
from the mainland made an unprecedented and
high-profile visit to Taiwan. During Mr. Chen’s visit,
four agreements on food safety and long-delayed “three
links”, namely, cross -Strait air and sea transport and
postal service were signed.
Panicked by their non-role in this historical development,
the opposition Democratic Progress Party
(DPP) launched a series of demonstrations, many of
which led to clashes between the protesters and the
police, resulting in a number of injuries, and dozens of
arrests.
Alan Romberg, a retired U.S. State Department official
and a China expert with Stimson Center, in his
recent article carried in the China Leadership Monitor:
“Cross-Strait Relations: “Ascend the Heights and Take
a Long-term Perspective” commented that Chen Yunlin’s
visit had “unquestionable political significance”
and his meetings with the senior officials and politicians
“reflected a new pragmatism on Beijing’s part.”
These meetings also “supported Ma’s claim that relations
had now entered a stage of mutual non-denial”.
Challenges Ahead
It seems that both sides of the Taiwan Strait have a
common perception that issues of mutual concern
should be handled in a prioritized way that economics
is ahead of politics and easier ones go before difficult
ones. The guideline to manage the relations is to proceed
with the mutually acceptable issues while shelving
the differences. In a short span of ten months, progress
on cross-Strait relations has been achieved far more
than what had been done in the last ten years.
However, in view of the above priorities, more
difficult challenges are still ahead, especially with the
issue of ROC’s international space. Last November,
Beijing acquiesced that former Vice President Lien
Chan represented President Ma as his special envoy at
the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru, the highest- level
representative Taiwan has ever appointed since the inception
of this economic forum. Moreover, Dr. Lien
Chan also met with President Hu Jintao for 40 minutes.
This good will gesture on the part of Beijing clearly
shows once again its pragmatism, flexibility and most
of all, self-confidence.
Yet the immediate challenge ahead will be Taiwan’s
aspiration to be a part of WHA (World Health
Assembly) and to participate in the activities of the
WHO (World Health Organization) in the coming May
in Geneva. Since this has been a cause pursued by both
KMT and DPP governments for 12 years and supported
by ROC’ diplomatic allies as well as some other WHO
members sympathetic on this particular issue, including
the U.S., this year’s outcome will be regarded as a litmus
test for Beijing’s good faith on the issue of international
space and the future direction of the cross-Strait
relations.
On the New Year’s Eve of 2009, President Hu Jintao
delivered a speech to call on the “Taiwan compatriots”
to join hands with the mainland for the eventual
peaceful unification of the motherland. Mr. Hu made
six main points in his speech and two of them are worthy
special attention.
On “external affairs”, he proposed bilateral consultations
to avoid wasting resources and efforts of both
sides with a view to advancing the interests of the entire