Beijing's best strategy to use with Taiwan

Beijing's best strategy to use with Taiwan

Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), left Taiwan on Nov. 7 with mixed results. Chen made history by being the highest ranking Chinese Communist official ever to formally visit Taiwan, technically still an enemy of Beijing. Four important agreements were signed.

The general perception is that Taipei and Beijing were treated on an equal footing in all activities during his visit. Official media in mainland China for the first time called Taiwan officials by their official titles. In Taipei, Chen even addressed Wang Jin-pyng, president of the Legislative Yuan, as “President Wang.” The only disappointment was that during his meeting with President Ma on the final day of his tour, he did not clearly call Ma “president.” Instead, he used “nin,” which was a deferential form of “you” in Chinese.

On the part of Ma, he made no mistake in reminding Chen that he is the president. In fact, calling people by their official titles should not be a significant issue at all, as long as the two sides are treated with parity during the cross-strait exchanges. It became an increasingly hot question, only because of the manipulation by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which kept saying that if Ma is not addressed as “president,” the dignity of the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan as a sovereign state will be seriously impaired.

As a result, all Taiwanese are focusing their attention on this point, which became the main theme of the violent and bloody anti-government and anti-Chen protests sponsored by the DPP. Everyone knows that what a person is called is merely a formality, with little substantial meaning. Recent developments have indicated that Beijing has become more and more flexible and pragmatic in handling Taiwan affairs, by not denying Taipei as an independent political entity.

Against this background, Chen should have faced reality by calling President Ma as such to satisfy the persistent demand of dissidents here, without causing Beijing to sacrifice anything substantial.

While visiting Taiwan, Chen was, by and large, perceived as an intelligent, calm and professional diplomat. His emotional remarks upon arrival and his composure displayed in front of the violent protests that dogged him wherever he went, won widespread acclaim. But, if Chen had addressed Ma as president, his trip would have been much more successful.

How China deals with this question of calling Taipei’s government officials by their titles is directly related to its grand strategy toward Taiwan. An elaborate display of goodwill gestures by Beijing, we believe, would be the best and most effective method.

In this regard, it should be in the larger interest of China to consider removal of some, if not all, of its missiles aimed at Taiwan. Next, it should agree to a diplomatic truce with Taipei. Finally, it should help Taiwan participate in international activities as much as possible. That Lien Chan, as a former ROC vice president, will be the highest ranking representative from Taiwan to attend the forthcoming APEC meeting with the tacit approval of Beijing should be considered a wide move on the part of the Chinese Communists. Furthermore, China should consider giving active assistance to Taipei to enable it to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO) as an observer. Lien reportedly will mention this when meeting Hu Jintao, chairman of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), at the APEC meeting. Of course, there are hardliners in China, just as there are in Taiwan, who oppose any concessions to the island, considered a “renegade province” of China, on the question of sovereignty. But, it should not be difficult to convince these people of the need and advantage of using this kind of “soft strategy.”

Now that China has been universally recognized as a giant world power, and as such it can afford to be magnanimous in dealing with a state as small as the ROC on Taiwan.
Even today, Taiwan is already, to a great extent, dependent on mainland China for its export surplus. Many Taiwanese, including DPP followers, have toured and invested in mainland China. In fact, most of the protesters against Chen’s visit were partisan-motivated, many of whom, deep in their hearts, supported increasing cross-strait exchanges because such a development is in their best interest.
There is a well-known saying that all humans are made of flesh, meaning people are easily moved by tender acts. And this will particularly apply to the psychology of down-to-earth Taiwanese people, who are scrupulously taught by Chinese culture to be grateful to whomever is nice to them. It was reported that several residents in southern Taiwan, considered a stronghold of the Taiwan independence movement, expressed deep regret that they could not see Chen Yunlin to say “thank-you” for the hospitality he extended to them while sightseeing in mainland China.