Beijing's new map for reunification

By ending Chiang's decree, Taiwan formally gave up its claim to represent the whole of China, dispelling the myth he created for his forlorn struggle to recover the mainland of China. But the Constitution, which went into force in the same year, still claims the mainland as part of its territory.

It is only proper and fitting for the two rival political parties to end the hostilities which began in 1927, long before Mao's ascendancy as chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the All China Soviet Government.

The vaunted Long March followed and Mao had to hole up with his fighting men at Yenan under siege by the Manchurian Army of Young Marshal Zhang Xuehliang, who took orders from Generalissimo Chiang.

The Sian, or Xian, Incident occurred in 1937.

Chiang was kidnapped and had to agree to lift the siege and form a united front with Mao to wage the war against Imperial Japan. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident followed in July 1938, kicking off China's eight-year war of resistance.

The civil war resumed right after the end of the Second World War in 1945. Chiang lost the war and had to flee China for Taipei at the end of 1949.

Lien Chan, chairman of the Kuomintang, went to China on a “journey of peace” in 2005 right after Beijing adopted an anti-secession law which codifies an automatic invasion of Taiwan if President Chen Shui-bian made any move toward Taiwan independence.

Lien and Hu met in Beijing to end the long historical feud between their two parties. They also promised to work to sign a peace agreement.

Why not let them sign it? Hu can sign the agreement as general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Lien is the Kuomintang chairman emeritus. There will be no problem of getting the pact ratified with due process in China, where the party leads the government.

In Taiwan, the Kuomintang can initiate a referendum. It won't be difficult for the ruling party to get enough endorsements for getting the agreement signed placed on the agenda.

The proposal for the referendum would be submitted to all the eligible voters for a vote.

It will be overwhelmingly adopted, because few will ever oppose peace across the Taiwan Strait. The peace agreement will become the law of the land. The agreement will make the formation of the mutual trust mechanism a matter of course.

Once all the military threat from China is removed, President Ma will have a much easier time to end his domestic confrontation.

Only then can he start dialogue with Hu to put an end to the political confrontation between Taiwan and China.

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