More cross-strait trust needed: Ex-AIT head

Speaking at a seminar in Taipei to discuss the development of cross-Taiwan Strait relations since President Ma Ying-jeou took office, Bush, now director of the Brookings Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS), said Ma’s assumption of the presidency offered the possibility of reducing cross-strait tension and hostility.

Bush said, however, that while Ma, who argued that Taiwan’s prosperity and security are best ensured by reassuring and engaging China, has launched a series of initiatives to improve cross-strait relations since he took the helm and achieved some results, it remains to be seen whether mutual trust between the two sides will be developed.

He noted that China still imposes diplomatic quarantine to obstruct Taiwan’s participation in international matters and would not give up resorting to military means if the island were to declare independence. “The process of economic cooperation is not enough to reduce Taiwan people’s fear,” Bush said. The two sides reached agreements to expand direct flights and to launch direct shipping and postal links during a round of talks last month. They plan to discuss financial cooperation in the next round of negotiations. Both sides are avoiding political issues for now.

Bush said he hopes Beijing would “show more flexibility” toward Taiwan’s bid to participate in U.N. activities, such as its hopes of gaining observer status in the World Health Organization, and find a way to reduce the Taiwan people’s sense of insecurity.

He stressed that mutual trust is vital to reach the ultimate goal of stabilization across the Taiwan Strait, an environment in which he said the two sides can coexist, cooperate without mutual fear, as well as maximize opportunities for cooperation.

“The road to creating the environment is not an easy one,” Bush said, adding that if the two sides can successfully achieve the goal with joint efforts, it will not only serve the best interests for the two governments and their people, the United States will no doubt welcome it as well.

He said he was encouraged to see the current incremental negotiation processes taken by the two sides to deal with cross strait relations, because “it is risky to try to do it all at once between two adversaries who seek to back away from the situation of mutual fear and mistrust.”

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