Ma fears ‘confrontation’ with China

“Without negotiations, I think the current state across the Taiwan Strait could move from stagnation to confrontation,” Ma told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Ma, 55, seen by many as the opposition’s best bet for victory in the 2008 polls, has said he would reopen talks and aim to sign a peace agreement with China if his party regained power in the next presidential election. In comments to reporters after his speech, Ma said that in the meantime, talks should include ruling and opposition parties in China and Taiwan as well as “governments.”

“We in the KMT have already established a dialogue with the Chinese Communist Party. We also call upon the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and all governments to talk. Otherwise I’m really afraid the situation will deteriorate,” Ma said, referring to the “escalation of confrontation” caused by the NUC matter.

Beijing refuses to deal with Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stands for an independent Taiwan identity.

“Mainland China is not particularly noted for its rule of law. They don’t need a piece of law in order to invade Taiwan,” Ma said.

But many Taiwanese believe that their government can never outspend China in an arms race. And some in the modern KMT believe China and Taiwan will eventually be reunited, and feel it is foolish to build up defenses that their big brother China might find provocative.

Ma also told the council that Taipei viewed “one China” as the Republic of China (ROC).

“This is the status quo and the majority of people in Taiwan want to maintain the status quo,” he said.

“The people of Taiwan elect their own president, parliament and manage their own affairs. Legally it already is a sovereign independent country and there is no need to declare independence a (second) time,” Ma said.

The KMT leader accused President Chen Shui-bian’s government of playing politics with the arms deal ever since it was approved by the United States in 2001.

Ma said Chen’s Democratic Progressive Party government held no serious debate on the issue until nine days before the Legislature adjourned in 2004. A presidential election was held in 2005, in which Chen was re-elected until 2008. But he cannot serve a third term, making Ma a likely presidential successor.

From 2001 until last year, Ma said, “A number of opinion polls have been held, and a majority of them — except those that were actually commissioned by the government — were opposed to the purchase due to the high price tag,” which Ma said would had risen to US$18 billion by now.

On the same day in 2005 that Chen was re-elected, Taiwan’s voters also approved a referendum banning the purchase of anti-missile systems to counter China’s cross-strait missile threat.

Ma said Tuesday his party’s parliamentary stalling and hard bargaining in coalition with the People First Party, and the rejection of the Patriot missiles by voters had cut the price of the defense deal almost in half.

“The Defense Department — the Defense Ministry — decided to gradually reduce that so that by now the figure of US$18 billion has been cut to about US$10 billion,” he said.

“We want to purchase arms that could adequately serve our defense needs, that would not have adverse effects on cross-strait relations, that would fit into our financial capability, and have basic support from public opinion,” Ma said.

Ma also took time in New York to meet with Oscar-winning Taiwanese film director Ang Lee at the Sheraton La Guardia East hotel. Lee recently won an Oscar for best director in his film “Brokeback Mountain”.

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