China offers 'goodwill gesture' to Taiwan

China offers 'goodwill gesture' to Taiwan

BEIJING (Reuters): China has made a "major goodwill gesture" to Taiwan by slightly softening its conditions for talks on establishing full trade and transport links across the Taiwan Strait, the official China Daily reported on Saturday.

It said a senior official had stressed Beijing's willingness to be pragmatic following the tentative opening of some links across the Strait earlier this week rather than insisting Taiwan accept it was part of "one China" before talks could begin.

It quoted He Shizhong of the cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office as saying that as long as the so-called "three small links" opened up this week were "conducted as internal affairs within one country, we will take pragmatic steps to work with them".

Beijing had insisted that arch rival Taiwan accept the "one China" principle before talks on establishing full trade and transport links could begin.

"The positive new overture should push forward more direct contact between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland," said the China Daily, the English-language Communist Party newspaper.

Busy

The apparent move forward followed the first direct, legal voyages across the Strait in 51 years when three Taiwan ships made short trips from outlying Taiwan-held islands to the mainland's southeastern province of Fujian on Tuesday.

It also came during talks between delegations from two Taiwan opposition parties and senior Chinese officials in Beijing and a comment from powerful Vice Premier Qian Qichen which Washington saw as positive.

The Washington Post on Friday quoted Qian as saying in an interview that any formula could be discussed, including a loose confederation, to reunify mainland China and Taiwan, separated since the end of a civil war in 1949.

"He went on to say that China has adopted 'a pragmatic and more inclusive' version of its long-standing one-China policy," the newspaper added.

Last Sunday, Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian urged China to pursue lasting peace by abandoning military threats and the comments from both sides seemed to please Washington.

"We believe that President Chen's and Vice Premier Qian's recent comments are constructive. We would encourage the two sides to make every effort to bridge their differences," State Department Richard Boucher said.

Nevertheless, the week's events across the Taiwan Strait have served to emphasize Beijing's policy of ignoring Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party espouses independence, and courting Taiwan businessmen and the opposition.

His name has not been mentioned by Chinese media this week as they lauded the visit of delegations from Taiwan's opposition Nationalist and New parties to push for the establishment of full links.

Beijing has long demanded that full trade, transport and postal links -- the "three big links" -- be opened up across the Taiwan Strait and accepted only grudgingly Taipei's softening of its ban on all three by allowing Tuesday's trips.

Taiwan, apparently fearing full-blown links would allow Communist China to launch a creeping turnover of an island it sees as a renegade province, has kept tight control of the "small links", allowing only Taiwan ships to cross the Strait legally.

China says Taiwan must be reunified, by force if necessary, although it is some months since it repeated publicly the threat to invade.

Nevertheless, the pressure appears to be mounting on Chen, who avoids acceptance of the "one China principle" in fear it might commit the island to reunification.