With peace accord unlikely, Taiwan’s future in jeopardy

Lien Chan, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang, met Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party who doubles as president of the People’s Republic, in Beijing on Feb. 18 to exchange views on how to further improve the peaceful development of relations between Taiwan and China. Lien urged Xi to face squarely the reality of the Republic of China. It’s the first time any leader of Taiwan mentioned the Republic of China in a CCP general secretary’s face.

Xi tacitly agreed, because Lien said the Republic of China is an asset, not a liability, to both sides of the Taiwan Strait in trying to solve their political divisions. China was divided after Chiang Kai-shek moved his KMT government from Nanking to Taipei at the end of 1949. Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on Oct. 1, writing off the Republic of China from Chinese history.

Lien urged that both sides should face up to the Republic of China on Taiwan to foster mutual trust within the framework of one China so as to solve the problem of political divisions. Xi promised to proceed with cross-strait negotiations in line with Lien’s proposition. He said the people on both sides of the strait are one Chinese nation and mainland China respects Taiwan’s social system and lifestyle. He added that mainland China wishes to share its economic development with Taiwan and seek a solution congenial with reason and common sense to the problem of political divisions through negotiation on an equal footing so that the Chinese people’s dream of a renaissance of the Chinese nation may be fulfilled.

There is one thing President Ma Ying-jeou can do to get that dialogue started right away. He must agree to sign a peace accord to end the state of war across the strait. But he isn’t going to do it. Neither will Democratic Party chairman Su Tzeng-chang or his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, if he or she is elected president in 2016.

The hopes of the people of Taiwan are pinned on an unlikely Kuomintang win in the presidential race two years away.

(The China Post (Taiwan))

(Asia News Network)