Taiwanese leader pledges to open ‘big door’ of negotiation with China

Marcos Calo Medina

Sunday, May 21, 2000 | 12:15 p.m.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Seeking to calm rival China, Taiwan's new president promised on Sunday that he would seriously consider ending a five-decade-long ban on direct air and shipping links with the neighboring communist rival.

President Chen Shui-bian surprised many on Saturday when his long-anticipated inauguration speech did not mention his thoughts about allowing planes and ships to travel directly between the two sides, separated by the 80-mile-wide Taiwan Strait.

The ban on direct links has been in effect since the communists took control of the mainland in 1949, forcing the Nationalist government to retreat to Taiwan. The two sides have been governed separately ever since, and Taiwan has been reluctant to allow direct links, fearing they would compromise the island's security.

On Sunday, Chen said he would keep "the big door of negotiation" open on the direct-links issue. The new president, whose election in March ended Nationalist rule on Taiwan, also mentioned that the expected admission of China and Taiwan to the World Trade Organization, which sets rules for international trade, would give the rivals a forum to talk about the issue.

"At the WTO talks there will be the opportunity to discuss the issue" of links with China, Chen said while visiting the Taiwanese-controlled island of Kinmen, just off the Chinese coast.

China isn't the only one anxious for Chen to lift the ban on direct links. The numerous Taiwanese businesses that have opened factories or sell goods on the mainland are also eager for the law to be changed. Trade and travelers between the sides must now transit through a third port, such as Hong Kong.

Opening direct links has long been a major bargaining chip for Taiwan in its efforts to reach a political agreement with China to defuse the threat of war. China has repeatedly threatened to use its massive military against Taiwan if it refuses to reunify and seeks independence.

China is pressuring Chen to agree on its "one-China principle," which holds that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. Chen thinks the concept is vague but has agreed to discuss it with China at a peace summit. However, Beijing won't agree to such a meeting until Chen accepts its principle.

Making a new offer to end the ban on direct links has been widely seen as one way for Chen to persuade China to soften its insistence and agree to talks. Many were disappointed when Chen's inaugural speech did not address the issue.

Among those dissatisfied with Chen's speech was Beijing. The official Xinhua News Agency on Sunday attacked Chen for not explicitly embracing the one-China principle, saying he adopted an "evasive and vague attitude" on the issue.

"Without accepting the one China principle, there is no foundation for talks and negotiations between the two sides. Not only will a relaxation and improvement of relations be difficult, it could lead to conflict and provoke a crisis," Xinhua said.