Cries for war and peace at election time
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) The upcoming presidential elections in Taiwan have generated heated debate over the state's relations with China. China accuses the country of separatism, due to the referendum called by current Taiwanese President Chen Shuibian.
On March 20 Taiwanese citizens will decide whether the country must acquire better anti-missile defense systems should China refuse to remove warheads currently pointing at the island from the mainland and whether Taiwan should begin talks with Beijing to create better conditions for peace and stability.
Currently, Beijing has 500 missiles pointed at Taiwan and has added about 75 new ones each year along the country's southeast coastal region.
Beijing considers Taiwan a "rebel territory" of mainland China. Internationally speaking, Taiwan holds no representative seat at the UN, but it is recognized by 27 countries.
In Taiwan in recent years, ever greater differences in political, social and economical opinions have lead Taiwanese to have an increasing appetite for independence (especially as regards safeguarding democracy, freedom of expression and multiparty systems of representation). Such tension and concerns led to Chen Shuibian's DPP party victory over the Kuomintang (KMT) in 2000. As Taiwan threatens independence, China responds with threats of invasion.
At election time the pendulum continues to swing between the two extreme positions.
Chiou I-jen, secretary to the president's administration in Taipei, has said that if Chen Shuibian wins "he will immediately form a task force to establish peace and stability" in the strait of water separating Taiwan from the motherland. Chen will not accept the Chinese principle of "one China" and but will not change the island's status quo even if "he will do his best to build up a Taiwanese identity and a state identity". The president says he's ready to reestablish contacts with Beijing, especially in terms of direct air and sea links with the mainland.
China's prime minister , Wen Jiabao, said at the close of the annual NPC meeting that China will never allow Taiwan to become a wholly separate country from China and will make efforts to peacefully reunify the territory with its motherland. He said that Chen's referendum threatens stability between the two lands and openly challenges the government's universally recognized "one China" principle.
The premier assured that China would remain steadfast in its efforts to create postal and business services, air and sea links as well as economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan and its citizens. He also said his government is in favor of dialog and negotiations.
Harsher words are heard within military circles. On March 4 at the opening session of the Chinese People's Policy Consulting Conference, some delegates threatened to use force against Taiwan. Shao Hua, major general and daughter-in-law of Mao Zedong, said: "I don't want to say what would happen if Taiwan becomes independent but we would never rule out resorting to military action." Meanwhile yesterday, March 16, China and France conducted military exercises together in the Yellow Sea near the port of Qingdao, 1250 km north of Taiwan. Analysts consider this to an attempt to intimidate voters in Taiwan.
However, in general, the tone is much more modest elsewhere.
Last March 6, Li Ganliu, vice president of the KMT's Revolutionary Committee (the KMT wing which remained in China after the flight of Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan) said China is ready to collaborate with whoever wins the elections and will give another opportunity to Shui-bian if elected. This is partly due to the fact that "Chen and Lien's (Chen's rival of the KMT party) policies toward China are the same."
"We think that reunification between Taiwan and China will come about sooner or later." Li Ganliu says that "the current crisis is due to a lack of communication and trust. We in China don't want to change Taiwan. Neither can we change to become politically like Taiwan. The solution lays in 'one country, two systems' and respect for one another."
Even among common people the Taiwan issue is the subject of heated debate especially on the internet, where threats often appear in chat rooms and writings. A message for peace and hope, however, comes from Chinese youth of the Patriotic Alliance group which inserted a 5-minute rap video on their web site, titled "Taiwan, my brother".
During the video Chinese and Taiwanese are urged to renounce violence and discuss reunification peacefully. Chen Shui-bian is described as an evil conspirer who attempts to stop the reunification of the two "brothers". According to the site's 28 year-old webmaster, Lu Yunfei, "in the past China was often viewed as the mother of its son, Taiwan. We want to change this image by giving ourselves new roles as brothers, who see themselves as equals and can resolve their problems via peaceful discussion."
Liu Sanzan, the 30 year-old composer of the song, said the music video was the result a "spontaneous initiative". "The Taiwan issue concerns all Chinese citizens," she said. "It wasn't the government who told us to do this. We aren't trying to influence the elections. We only want to express our real hopes and beliefs." (MR)
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