Wither Taiwan

Far Eastern Economic Review, February 22, 1996, p. 40.

The Asian Age (Calcutta), March 23, 1996, p. 4.

The Asian Age, March 25, 1996, P. 4. Mr. Kao Koong-Lian of Taiwan Cabinet’s Mainland Affairs Council called on China to embrace peaceful methods of developing bilateral relations. The Statesman (Calcutta), March 26, 1996, p. 1. Also worth noting is that President Lee celebrated his landslide victory on March 24 with a promise to work on improving relations with China. “We will seek further development in our mainland relations. We will do it well”, said Lee. The Telegraph (Calcutta), March 25, 1996, p. 4. Taiwan’s Premier Lien Chan called for resumption of low-level talks suspended by China in 1995. Ibid. Taiwan also offered China a major concession on March 25 to warm up tense relations announcing a plan to ease the decades old ban on direct trade links with the mainland. See, Huang Annie , ‘Taiwan offers trade links to China’, The Telegraph, March 26, 1996, p. 3.

Bown Tiffany , ‘No summit until separatist plans dropped: China’, The Asian Age, March 27, 1996, p. 4. It should be noted that just two days ago China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang floated the idea of a summit. “The two sides should realise a high-level summit between their leaders,” said the spokesman. The Times of India (Mumbai), March 25, 1996, p. 16.

Jain L.C. , ‘Taiwan Today’: The Agony of Ethical Deficiency’, The Times of India, January 11, 1996, p. 12.

Baum Julian Harmsen Peter , ‘A vision too far’, Far Eastern Economic Feview, October 10, 1996, p. 52.

Khergamvala F.J. , ‘Taiwan’s two-pronged plan to stop unification’, The Hindu (Madras), January 24, 1996, p. 11.

Taiwan’s indirect trade with China rose 41.9 percent to $ 2.021 billion in January, 1996 over the same period last year. The Asian Age, April 2, 1996, p. 21.

For details see, Chen Xiangming , ‘Taiwan Investments in China and Southeast Asia’, Asian Survey, Vol. XXXVI, No. 5, May, 1996, pp. 447–467. The fact that Taiwan is still among the best performing economies in the world does not necessarily mean that the country has no worries. See, Far Eastern Economic Review, October 10, 1996, pp. 48–53.

Far Eastern Economic Review, f. n. 1, p. 41. See for the details of the military balance, Lin Chong-Pin , ‘The Military Balance in the Taiwan Straits’, The China Quarterly. June 1996, Number 146, pp. 577–595. See also, Far Eastern Economic Review, Asia 1996 Year Book, p. 122. However, Ping-Kun Chiang , Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) says that economic prosperity is Taiwan’s best defence against a hostile takeover by Beijing. Baum Julian , ‘Island at the crossroads,’ Far Eastern Economic Review, October 10, 1996. p. 48.

Indian Express (New Delhi), January 29, p. 11.

Indian Express, February 3, 1996, p. 11.

The Statesman, March 21, 1996, p. 7

France denied in August 1996, a report that the delivery of Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters had been postponed. See, The Asian Age, August 10, 1996, p. 7.

The Asian Age, March 19, 1996, p. 14.

The Statesman, March 19, 1996, p. 9.

The Asian Age, March 18, 1996, p. 4.

Lin Chong-Pin , op. cit., p. 577.

Holloway Nigel , ‘Playing with Fire’, Far Eastern Economic Review, March 14, 1996, p. 21. Taiwan’s speedy defence modernization has mended military weaknesses but has not adequately addressed vulnerabilities in civil defence and in psychological fitness against Beijing’s possible, non-bloody intimidation. See, Lin Chong-Pin , op. cit., p. 592.

For China’s Taiwan Policy see author’s China and Taiwan’, The Statesman, July 26, 1996, p. 8. For the question as to whether China would attack Taiwan, see author’s ‘More sound than fury’, The Telegraph, March 10, 1996, p. 13.

The Asian Age, March 12, 1996, p. 4.

If this is true, however, it is hard to explain why Taiwan recently rejected a South African proposal to give diplomatic recognition to both it and mainland China. There was no need actually for Taiwan to say so for it knew well that Beijing would not in any case allow South Africa to have diplomatic relations with both. The only plausible argument, therefore, would be that Taiwan wanted to pay China back in its own coin rather than that Taiwan’s commitment to the “one China” principle has been as strong as China’s. It may also be noted that following his election as vice-president, deputy prime minister Lien Chan said in an interview with CNN on March 27, 1996 that the Republic of China was an independent and sovereign state and that it had the right to strive for international recognition. See, Gu Xuewu , ‘Taiwan: Time bomb in the Far East’, Aussen Politik, Vol. 47, 2nd Quarter, 1996, p. 201.

Taiwan’s commitment to the “one China” principle should not be taken at its face value. As the Chinese have said it may be only a smoke-screen to hide real intentions. There is a strong reason to believe that this criticism contains more than a germ of truth.

“We have probably already passed the point of no return. Reunification in the way that Beijing wants is a near impossibility for most of the people (in Taiwan)”, said Michal Hsiao, an ethnologist at the Academia Sinica in Taipei. “And reunification with a China which has become more democratic and prosperous, as Taiwan would like, is something that is far away and uncertain,” he added. The Asian Age, March 21, 1996, p. 4.

The Economic Times (Calcutta), December 5, 1995, p. 3.

The Secretary-General of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Mr. Chiao Jen-ho said that Taiwan would not accept unification with China under “one country, two systems” a formula proposed by China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping for taking over Hong Kong, Mr. Chiao said China and Taiwan should he unified under one system. Lau Emily , ‘Taiwan’s lesson for Hong Kong’. The Statesman, March, 19, 1996, p. 9. The additional offer of giving Taiwan even greater autonomy rights with respect to the maintenance of Taiwanese armed forces has also been unable to make the Taiwanese leadership drop its stance.

Even Peng Ming-min, who is the spiritual leader of Taiwan’s independence movement, has moderated his views, arguing that there is no need to declare independence formally, as Taiwan already has it in all but name. The only exception to this policy, he said, would be if China attacked Taiwan. See, Kulkarni V.G. Baum Julian , “Bring the ballot”. Far Eastern Economic Review, March 14, 1996, p. 19.

The Statesman, Mach 20, 1996, p. 11. See also, The Asian Age, March 12, 1996, p. 4.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Fredrick Chien said that the Taiwanese wanted seat in the UN to reflect Taiwan’s new affluent place in the world and that Taiwan’s politicians must respond to those wishes. The Asian Age, March 23. 1996, p. 4.

The Asian Age, March 26, 1996, p. 4.