Jiang urges Taiwan to restart talks

Jiang urges Taiwan to restart talks

Tamora Vidaillet and Alice Hung, Reuters, Beijing/Taipei

Chinese Communist Party chief Jiang Zemin said on Friday that China and Taiwan should put aside political differences to resume talks, an offer swiftly welcomed by Taiwan as long as there are no pre-conditions.

But in a 90-minute speech to the opening of a pivotal five- yearly congress, Jiang upheld Beijing's right to use force against Taiwan and drew the longest applause from more than 2,000 delegates for his pointed message to the island.

Taiwan has been under self-rule since 1949, when the Nationalist army led by Chiang Kai-shek fled there to escape Mao Zedong's Communist forces, which seized control of mainland China.

China has considered the island a renegade province ever since.

"On the basis of the one-China principle, let us shelve for now certain political disputes and resume the cross-Strait dialog and negotiations as soon as possible," Jiang said.

Taiwan reacted swiftly to Jiang's efforts to reignite political ties that have been on hold since July 1999, when then- Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui enraged Beijing by redefining ties as "special state to state".

"Holding talks has been our consistent position," said Chen Ming-tong, spokesman and vice chairman of the Taiwan cabinet's Mainland Affairs Council that formulates the island's China policy.

"Under a situation where there are no prerequisites and no preconditions, we can sit down and talk about anything. We urge the Chinese communists to face as soon as possible the fact that the Republic of China exists," Chen said, using the official name Taiwan gives itself.

"We hope the new generation of mainland leaders can deal with cross-Strait relations in a more practical manner," he said.

Ties have long been tested by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, a man Beijing suspects of wanting independence.

But they appeared to have improved after Beijing said in appeals to Taiwan to allow direct trade, transport and postal links with the mainland that such links could be referred to as "cross-Strait" rather than a "domestic" issue.

China says talks over what have been dubbed the "three links" should take place at non-governmental level, but Chen has said the talks should involve government officials.

Jiang made fresh calls to Taiwan to cement already flourishing economic ties.

"There is every reason to take practical and positive steps to promote such direct links and open up new prospects for cross- Strait economic cooperation," he said.

Bringing Taiwan back into the fold has been a key aim of Jiang Zemin and is expected to be a key focus even if he retires as party general secretary this month and as China's president when government posts change hands next March.

"On re-starting talks with Taiwan, that's one thing that Jiang really hopes is going to be part of his legacy," said one Western diplomat.

"Deng brought Hong Kong and Macau back into the fold, Jiang wants to bring Taiwan in."

But Jiang upheld Beijing's right to use force if necessary. "Our position of never undertaking to renounce the use of force is not directed at our Taiwan compatriots," he said. "It is aimed at the foreign forces' attempts to interfere in China's reunification and the Taiwan separatist forces' schemes for 'Taiwan independence'."