Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Friday, March 6, 2009 9:44 am TWN, AP and AFP

China says ready to talk, end hostilities

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stands on the podium to read his work report during the opening session of National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People Thursday, ...

Enlarge Photo

Sponsors
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.

China says ready to talk, end hostilities

BEIJING -- China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday that Beijing is ready to hold talks with Taiwan on political and military issues in the pursuit of ending hostility between the longtime rivals.

In a report to the annual legislative session's opening ceremony, Wen hailed a significant improvement in ties and a major reduction in tensions over the past year between China and the self-governing island across the Taiwan Strait that Beijing claims as Chinese territory.

“Positive changes occurred in the situation in Taiwan, and major breakthroughs were made in cross-strait relations,” Wen said.

Beijing was ready to hold talks to “create conditions for ending the state of hostility and concluding a peace agreement” between the sides, he said.

Wen's remarks to the National People's Congress were a near word-for-word reiteration of offers made by president and Communist Party leader Hu Jintao in a Dec. 31 address. Relations have improved dramatically since Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou took office last year with a mandate to reduce tensions and strengthen economic ties between the sides.

Wen also referred to Taiwan's long ambition to participate in international organisations such as the United Nations, although he insisted the baseline criteria remained.

“We are ready to make fair and reasonable arrangements through consultation on the issue of Taiwan's participation in the activities of international organisations,” Wen said.

But he said such participation would have to come under the “one-China principle”, which maintains that Beijing is the sole legitimate government of all of China, including Taiwan.

Wen also said China would work to improve already lucrative economic ties between the two sides, with the aim of jointly overcoming the global economic crisis, and vowed to provide financial and investment support for Taiwanese businesses operating on the mainland. Late last month, officials said Taiwan and China would sign agreements to collaborate on finance and reducing crime.

“We will accelerate normalisation of cross strait economic relations and facilitate the signing of a comprehensive agreement on economic cooperation,” Wen said.

Wen gave no additional details on the content of a peace agreement or what the talks on political and military issues would include. However, the tone of his remarks was far more conciliatory than the typically hawkish references to Taiwan contained in previous addresses to the congress.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

Comments

March 5, 2009 e11131008@

I really doubt the opinion he said. Taiwan goes closely with China in economy. Maybe some day, China can use that way to control and dominate Taiwan easily by not using military force.

March 5, 2009 alvinchen3333@

If both sides can end the hostility, we can say that China has sized up Taiwan. In the future, any Taiwan government will not be able to leave China and become "independent" again. However, this kind of peace talk or peace treaty is also very good for Taiwan to focus on the economy and education reforms to promote current levels of cultural quality as a model for every Chinese. The truth is both the Communist Party and Nationalist Party (so called KMT—Kuo Min Tung on Taiwan) have a moral obligation to reunify China under a complete China. I am pleased to know that the current mainland government is rational and able to keep a nice manner to face Taiwan by peaceful means.

March 6, 2009 eigen1984@

I don't think this is good news for Taiwan since there seems to be no other choice but to accept the one-China principle. Well, it's unfair!! All the agreements are made up for your country, not for my country.

March 13, 2009 one.china@

In terms of nationality, the people on both sides of the Straits belong to one Chinese nation.

In terms of territoriality, both Taiwan and mainland belong to China.

However, the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949 caused China to be divided into two states (PRC and ROC) and the Chinese nation to be divided into 3 segments: 1. PRC citizens 2. ROC citizens 3. Overseas Chinese ROC citizens who became persona non-grata if they did not opt for PRC citizenship or that of the host country.

From the PRC perspective, Taiwan reunification with the mainland pertains to territory. This explains in part why the Marxist-Leninist splittists have no qualms about blood compatriots from both sides of the Straits shedding each other's blood, evident from Beijing's willingness to "retake" the island by military force.

From the ROC perspective, reunification matters more than Taiwan itself as it pertains to the unity of the Chinese nation due to which there can be no territorial reunification before ethnic-national reunification takes place. This explains President Ma's patience in dealing with the reunification issue.

Only when significant changes in a positive direction happen on the mainland will the government of Free China under ROC jurisdiction negotiate reunification with the respective regime which holds de facto jurisdiction over the mainland. In the meantime, we can only hope and work towards the revival of a united Republic of China (ROC) as espoused by the founding father of the modern Chinese nation Dr. Sun-Yat Sen to reunite the Chinese nation and China so that the current status quo of one nation and country divided will be laid to rest in the annals of history.

One of the important first steps to be taken to resolve the reunification issue is for the ROC to have its rightful seat in the UN restored; that is, namely the readmission of the ROC in the international community as a legitimate entity. The Beijing PRC regime will sooner or later understand that this is not tantamount to breaking the one China principle because it is clear that both the ROC and the PRC are different states belonging to one nation and country much as the situation concerning Korea and Germany prior to 1989.

Even though most countries recognize the PRC as the sole government of China, it is from a moral point of view wrong as the CCP was an insurrectionist rebel group that took power by force of arms, forcing the ROC government to relocate to Taiwan. This is unjustifiable unless might is right. It is therefore morally correct to assert that the ROC is the sole legitimate government of China, if not de jure at least de facto-wise in the hearts of most Chinese in China and all over the world.

Long live the ROC, God bless President Ma!