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Wed, Apr 2, 1997
Taiwan & PRC Posture Over Unity Question
also: Gingrich & Taiwan VP meet; Hong Kong edits its way out of colonialism; info on DPP and Taoyuan county; US to push human rights resolution; and more . . .Please read the statement of purpose.
Taiwan: speaking to Japanese Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda, President Jiang Zemin offered to allow Taiwan to have its own vice president in a PRC administration, if Taiwan united under the "one-country two-systems" concept, reports Inside China. Taiwan turned him down. "A position like the vice presidency should be decided by people's choice, not by simply giving it out from the top," the paper quotes Kao Koong-lien, vice chairman of the Cabinet's policy-making Mainland Affairs Council.
The offer has met with strong reaction from some in Taiwan's press, reports Inside China. As a commentary published in Taiwan's United Daily News today said, "The dignity of the Republic of China cannot be bought by any tangible or intangible reward."
In related news: China Times (Shibao) has a piece on the meeting between Vice President Lian Zhan and House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The text is in Chinese Big 5, but I have extracted and translated a few parts:
"Yesterday noon Lian Zhan received Speaker Gingrich at the Taibei Guest House, and together they had a working lunch. The meeting was conducted in English, and Gingrich told Lian Zhan that when he was in Beijing he heard someone say: if the Hong Kong transition is resolved smoothly, then after five years it will be possible to promote the 'one-country two-systems' formula for Taiwan.
"Laughing, Lian Zhan said, right now the mainland already has put in place 'one-country two-systems' , because of the vast differences between the [under developed] hinterland and the [flourishing] coastal periphery. In the future the return of Hong Kong will only increase this tendency. He then stressed, the Republic of China is determined not to accept the 'one-country two-systems' formula; the Republic of China in Taiwan has never been a colony, and it has always been a place belonging to the Chinese people and governed by the Chinese people. It is not possible to draw comparisons between it and Hong Kong."
"Lian Zhan pointed out, there are many problems within the communist government. Communism itself is already completely bankrupt, and as a result a real hollowness to [the party's] ideas has become evident. The communists can only use ethnic nationalism (minzu zhuyi) as a foil, an excuse, to govern such a large territory. But this is completely different from the way by which democracy is pursued in Taiwan. Our government of the Republic of China has always advocated unification, but we oppose the communist government's 'one-country two-systems' concept, because the 'one China' we think of does not exist right now, especially under communism."
Hong Kong: the details of transition become more clearly the focus as the days count down and the end---and beginning---near. The details include the dismantling of a colonial system, its symbols and its vocabulary. No where is this dismantling and reconstruction more evident and important as in the educational system. The changes are not striking, simple editing here and there, as part of the regular cycle of revision and republication of textbooks. New York Times correspondent Edward Gargan discusses the changes and how Hong Kong educators and publishers view them.
For more information on this subject see the Mon, Mar 10, 1997 and Tue, Mar 11, 1997 issues.
(Note: the New York Times on-line edition is free, but requires that users register a name and password, and therefore first-time users should first introduce themselves on the Times registration page.)
Taiwan: in the Fri, Mar 28, 1997 issue we reported on the victory of Democratic Progressive Party candidate Annette Lu in Taoyuan County, and now we have links for Taoyuan county. The site offers brief introductions to various aspects of the county and its government.
- "Geographical Location" puts Taoyuan on the map, noting briefly its geographical features.
- "Administrative Setup and County Assembly": notice the organization of the county government, its subordinate offices and bureaus, including public schools and the Confucian Temple and Martyrs Shrine Administration.
- "Growth of Taoyuan County" lists the vital statistics of the county. Note the scope of its administration,"369 villages under 13 townships/cities", and the promotion of townships into "city" status.
A Chinese version (BIG 5) is also available.
The Democratic Progressive Party has a web site with information in both English and Chinese. The English side is a bit outdated, and those who read Chinese will find more timely information, including the party's response to their victory in Taoyuan. When I have more time, I will translate some their propaganda. The DPP has a mirror site in the United States; this will probably be faster to load.
The New Party (Xindang) has a site, but unfortunately it's completely written in Chinese.
Resources: constitution writing has been an important aspect to state building throughout the century of reform and revolution. The The Constitution of The Republic of China can be read in English and Chinese here.
"Guidelines for National Unification" informs us on Taiwan's position for unifying with the mainland.
Human rights: the United States will push for a resolution in the UN Human Rights Commission criticising mainland China for ongoing human rights violations, reports Inside China. UN Ambassador Bill Richardson said, Beijing continues "to severely restrict fundamental freedoms of speech, the press, assembly, association and religion, in violation of internationally-accepted norms. We do not seek confrontation over this issue, but we firmly believe that the PRC (People's Republic of China) should be held accountable, and certainly at the United Nations Human Rights Commission, to the international standards that China itself has endorsed," the paper reports. Richardson will also push for a resolution condemning Burma, Cuba and Sudan for their practices.
Hong Kong: the mainland government announced today, mainlanders not on essential business activities will be barred from entering the territory from June 15 to July 15, reports Inside China. Beijing wants to ensure a smooth handover and is afraid of an influx of immigrants coming for the "good life" in the territory. Cities on the border with Hong Kong will be affected by this travel restriction, the paper reports.