China-Taiwan -- small step, not a leap

China-Taiwan -- small step, not a leap

SINGAPORE: There was much drum-beating going on in Taiwan over the formal opening on Tuesday of trade and transport links between two outlying islands, Kinmen and Matsu, and Fujian on the Chinese mainland. An official party led by the Kinmen county commissioner will board a boat for the port city of Xiamen, a journey delayed 24 hours by the New Year holiday.

The event is being milked by the Taiwanese side for all the goodwill (or propaganda) it is worth. On a broad historical scale, the Taiwanese are well justified to count this as a big deal in improving liaison with China.

Taiwan's ban on direct contact has stood for 51 years since China became the People's Republic, and the island prospered as an irksome satellite to the mainland. If Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian is not thwarted by hardliners in his own Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), he intends to liberalize further by having Chinese journalists and tourists over. He will also ease investment controls on Taiwanese firms doing business on the mainland.

There is nothing puny about these promised developments, considering he had been far too cautious after his election in March last year, studying his moves in pursuing an opening to China.

But on the broad canvas of China's complete territorial restoration, the cross-straits foray is nothing like the "breakthrough" Taiwan is billing it as. Beijing's grudging acceptance of the offer should be absorbed by Taipei for its full meaning. The limited links were originally China's idea, which it proposed at the first round of cross-straits talks held in Singapore in 1993.

Taiwan was opposed to the links at the time, as China's refusal to renounce the use of force against it contradicted its time-table for an accommodation with the mainland, as set out in its Guidelines for National Unification. The Beijing position on military force has not changed.

So, is this a case of Taiwan doing an about-turn to indulge Beijing, or China being maneuvered into a position not to its liking? China's stand has been that "mini-links" do not amount to anything. It stands ready to open full links in trade, air and sea movements, and postal exchange, provided Taiwan accepts the principle of one China as a basis for resumed talks. This is the nub of the issue. In this context, it is unprofitable to deduce who had whom over a barrel in the case of the limited opening.

It helps to keep in mind that trading and travel movements between the Taiwanese islands and Fujian port cities had been going on informally since the 1980s. The much touted "opening" only makes legal what had just been tolerated all these years.

The bottom line remains unchanged: Until Chen can get over his semantic ambiguity about China as one, he will receive no quarter from Beijing. The opening to Fujian gives him some elbow room in his jostling with DPP fundamentalists, such as his vice-president Annette Lu, to give China a reason to engage him. He should grab the opportunity.

Two fortuitous factors could hold him back, however. The coming accession of George Bush to the United States presidency will embolden hardliners in Taipei, as the outlines of the Bushites' China policy appear to provide Taiwan succor while being unhelpfully tough on China. Secondly, setbacks in political and public service administration, culminating in a poorly performing economy and charges of presidential naivete, have been a distraction. Chen would be inclined to play for time, but he does not have all the time in the world.

-- The Straits Time/Asia News Network