Taiwan-China status quo best for all, KMT’s Ma says

At a gathering with Japanese journalists, including those from NHK, Asahi Shimbun and other media, Ma said that Taiwan should not pursue the so-called “legal Taiwan independence,” while unification with China is not a matter of urgency for now.

As for the eventual choice, he stressed, the final decision of the 23 million people in Taiwan should be fully respected. Outlining the future developments of the cross-strait relations, Ma said that maintaining the status quo, independence, and unification, are all possible choices for the people here.

For the KMT, Ma said, the party chooses the policy of unification based on the “One-China Constitution” and the “Guidelines for National Unification” under the premises of “freedom, democracy, and equality in wealth” for both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

In view of the immaturity in timing and objective conditions at present, Taiwan should not push for independence, while unification is not on the island’s priority list, he said.

Ma, who doubles as mayor of capital Taipei, explained that “maintaining the status quo” means neither pursuing Taiwan independence nor engaging in unification talks with China.”

In other words, he said, is to simply maintain the “current situations of the Republic of China.”

But Taiwan and China should have the opportunities to explore the furthering of the bilateral relations if the two sides can maintain positive interactions with the political, economic, and social conditions continuing to draw closer, he said.

Ma pointed out that China has undergone obvious changes in its policies toward Taiwan in recent years. Beijing at present does not place its focus on “cross-strait unification” but shifted to “preventing Taiwan independence.”

China should not take adventurous actions against Taiwan as long as the island refrains from resorting to what Beijing conceives as provocative actions, such as changing the existing Constitution, changing the national flag and territory, and conducting referendum on independence and unification, Ma said.

Should Beijing take any adventurous actions against Taiwan, it will only face tremendous risks that will not only affect the stability of the whole East Asian region but will also make it extremely difficult for the United States and Japan to stay out of the fallout, he observed.

In addition to its actively gearing up for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the World’s Fair in Shanghai, Ma noted, the last thing mainland China wants to see is new tension across the Taiwan Strait, considering its overall national situation as of now.

All these factors make “ensuring regional stability” the common goal shared by both Taipei and Beijing. Ma said he could not understand why Taiwan should create new controversies and tensions at this juncture.

Ma said that Taiwan should maintain peaceful relations with the U.S., Japan, and the Chinese mainland because this policy is in Taiwan’s best interest.

For the interests of all people involved, the most broadly embraced policy is maintaining the status quo and this is exactly the policy of the KMT, he added.

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