President Chen vows Taiwan won’t become ‘second Hong Kong’

Chen made the remarks at the Presidential Office during a tea party with over 60 parliamentarians from more than 20 countries who were in Taipei to attend the International Inter-Parliamentary Conference.

In an obvious effort to refute the prediction of Japanese economist and management guru Kenichi Omae that Taiwan and mainland China would be reunified under the “Chinese Federation” formula in two years, Chen told the visiting foreign dignitaries that “Taiwan will still be Taiwan in 2005.” He added that “Taiwan’s 23 million people will never accept Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems’ unification scheme, not to mention an even worse ‘Chinese federation.’”

Omae predicted last week that Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China would create a “Chinese federation” by 2005.

“Taiwan is a sovereign state. It is not a part or a province or a special administrative region of any other country,” Chen emphasized, reiterating that “Taiwan’s future is in the hands of the Taiwan people alone.”

The president also reaffirmed that Taiwan will continue to play an active role in promoting the peace and economic and democratic developments of the Asia-Pacific region.

He further extended a warm welcome to the foreign parliamentarians, including seven members of the Congressional Pro-Taiwan Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, and thanked them for their attention and contributions they have made to the progress and peace of the region.

The International Inter-Parliamentary Conference, sponsored by the ROC-USA Inter Parliamentary Amity Association, opened on Jan. 16 in Taipei and will conclude today.

Meanwhile, according to the results of a survey released by the non-profit Public Poll Research Foundation at the commission of the Chinese Professors’ Association, 40 percent of the people in Taiwan believe that President Chen is sincere when he calls for cross-strait stability.

The leader, in his New Year’s message, called for both sides to build a framework of interaction for peace and stability and to make this a primary goal at this stage of cross-strait relations.

The president also said that consultations on direct transportation links as well as on other related economic issues could constitute a first step forward and set the stage for further economic and cultural interactions.

The survey, conducted between Jan. 10-14, showed that 40 percent of the respondents said they believe that the president is sincere, compared with 39 percent who said they do not think so, revealing a stark divide in public opinion on the issue.

Fifty-two percent said that they think the president’s remarks in the New Year’s message were a ploy to help him get reelected in 2004, while 29 percent said that they were not.

In related news, Chao Chun-shan, a professor at the Mainland Affairs Institute of Tamkang University, told a seminar that he also disagreed with Omae’s prediction.

As both sides of the Taiwan Strait have their own internal and economic problems to solve, Chao said, cross-strait relations will remain stable and not lead to a hasty unification, such as a “Chinese federation,” in the foreseeable future.

The scholar opined that issues related to cross-strait relations will be the focus of debates in the run-up to the next presidential election.

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