China caution on Taiwan essential

Taiwan's president, Lee Teng-hui, has responded with moderation and goodwill to China's resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong. While rejecting the "one country, two systems" model as an inappropriate basis for any move to reunite Taiwan and China, he has repeated the offer he made last year to visit the mainland and to resume talks at the highest level between Beijing and Taipei. China's president, Jiang Zemin, has consistently linked China's ambition for the eventual reunification of Taiwan with the successful handover of Hong Kong to Beijing's control. It is important that Beijing make a success of the Hong Kong operation, not only for the sake of Hong Kong and China but also for Taiwan's sake.

Jiang can further his ambitions for China by being cool and conciliatory in his attitude to Taiwan. Beijing would be well advised to take up Lee's offer to visit Beijing and to resume political dialog. Of course, the most important thing Beijing can do in relation to Taiwan is keep its promises to Hong Kong, allowing Hong Kong to maintain its distinctive lifestyle and develop a strong degree of genuine autonomy. The whole region hopes that Beijing and Taipei conduct themselves with moderation and restraint.

The region was spooked by the wholly unnecessary Taiwan Straits crisis last year, when Beijing fired live missiles in the vicinity of Taiwanese cities in an attempt, forlorn as it turned out, to influence Taiwan's presidential election. Similarly, Beijing overreacted to Lee's visit to his U.S. alma mater, Cornell University, earlier that year. If Beijing is to pursue a successful policy toward Taiwan it must win the trust of the people of Taiwan and it cannot do this by threat and bluster. The single most constructive gesture Beijing could make would be to rule out the use of force in its attempt to achieve reunification with Taiwan.

-- The Australian