Taipei should take olive branch

China-Taiwan relations appear to be set for a good start in the New Year with Beijing's offer to resume talks on an equal footing. Beijing had never previously said what sort of relations it had with the island province, but then it had never used this description either, despite repeated demands from Taipei that both sides should treat each other on equal terms. That there is something special in Beijing's use of this term is indicated by the play given to the item in an article written by the director of the central government's Taiwan Affairs Office, Chen Yunlin, published by the semi-official China News Service.

There ought not to be any conditions on talks or negotiations within the Chinese family; Taipei has been most insistent and now Beijing has conceded.

Clearly, if the talks are to succeed, there must be the shared view that there is only one China. Chinese everywhere believe this: that includes many in Taiwan. By making this concession after two years of stalled cross-Straits talks, Beijing has moved toward a more practical, realistic formula for regional stability and ultimate reunification. Taipei, which adopted an entirely new form of "living space" diplomacy and then campaigned for a seat in the United Nations, needs to consider this new development seriously and take up the challenge of reunification.

This may be Taipei's best time for resumption of talks. Beijing's offer comes at the end of a year's successful campaign to win friends and influence people around the world, much of it to Taipei's detriment. A time may come when Taiwan's existence may not matter to anyone else, and Taipei will be in no position to make any demands.

But that time is remote. For now, the ball is in Taipei's court.

-- The Hong Kong Standard