June 21, 2000

Inspired by Korean Peace Talks, Taiwan Makes Overture to China

By MARK LANDLER

"If North and South Korea can, why can't the two sides of the strait?" Mr. Chen said at his first news conference since taking office last month. "The Koreans have made a historic stride forward. We can also make changes and create history."

China quickly rebuffed Mr. Chen's overture, just as it has his several other gestures since he was elected the first Taiwanese leader in more than 50 years from outside the Nationalist Party. A spokesman for the Chinese government said: "The 'one China' principle is the basis and precondition for peaceful reunification. On this major, black and white question, we won't make any compromise."

Mr. Chen's proposal -- while shrewdly timed and boldly phrased -- was not accompanied by any concessions on the issue that has kept Taiwan and China apart. He reiterated that Taiwan would not accept Beijing's precondition for negotiations: that Taiwan acknowledge there is only one China, of which it is a part.

Instead, he challenged both sides to show "wisdom" and "creativity" in crafting a new definition of "one China" acceptable to both sides.

But by seizing on the Korea summit meeting, Mr. Chen seemed to be trying to shift the terms of the debate over cross-strait relations. Rather than a standoff between a sovereign and a renegade province, as Beijing contends, Mr. Chen painted a portrait of two long-lost brothers linking hands. The progress between the Koreas underscores the paralysis in the relationship between Taiwan and China. Although Mr. Chen's election did not provoke military action from China -- as Beijing repeatedly threatened -- Taiwan and China seem to be hunkering down for a protracted stalemate.

"We've gotten stuck," said Yung Wei, a longtime adviser to the Taiwanese government on cross-strait relations. "The mainland Chinese are being rigid. And Chen is not in a position to make an offer. He wants to leave some room for a rapprochement without yielding a basic point."

Despite the familiar posturing on both sides, Mr. Chen seemed genuinely inspired by the Korean meeting. He said it was a symbol of how bitter adversaries could put aside their differences in an historic bid for peace. Mr. Chen said he had put a photograph in his study of the two leaders, Kim Jong Il of North Korea and Kim Dae Jung of South Korea, shaking hands.

"I sincerely invite the leader of China, Mr. Jiang Zemin, to join hands and work to create a moment like the handshake between North and South Korea," he said, smiling under a sweltering midday sun.

Mr. Chen also encouraged the United States to do more to bridge the gulf between China and Taiwan. He said he expected the Clinton administration to adhere to Washington's long-standing policy of refusing to mediate between them, but he praised President Clinton for reminding China that Mr. Chen could not change Taiwan's policy without the support of its people.

"If the United States is willing, it can play a more active role," he said. "Keeping peace between the two sides of the strait is not just in Taiwan's interest, it is also in the United States' interest."

In dwelling on Korea, political analysts said Mr. Chen has more than symbolism in mind. Several noted that Korea offers Taiwan a far more appealing model for reunification than Beijing's preferred example, Hong Kong. When China gained sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, it guaranteed the former British colony some autonomy but otherwise subsumed its separate identity.

Taiwan officials said such an arrangement would not satisfy people here. Taiwan has developed a vibrant political culture and, with Mr. Chen's election, held its first democratic transfer of power since the defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan from China in 1949.

The two Koreas, by contrast, recognize each other in international organizations like the United Nations. When Kim Dae Jung traveled to Pyongyang, he was greeted by Kim Jong Il as a head of state. Beijing does not use Mr. Chen's name in official statements, let alone recognize his status.

While there has been little contact between the Koreas, China and Taiwan have not needed formal ties to develop a bustling trade in goods and people. Relatives visit each other, Taiwanese fishing boats moor in Chinese ports, and 40,000 Taiwanese companies have operations on the mainland.

Mr. Wei said the breakthrough in Korea carried risks for Mr. Chen. If North and South Korea can ease the tension, he said, other countries might press Taiwan and China for a similar breakthrough.

"This Korean summit is going to have a major impact on Taiwan," Mr. Wei said. "The more the Koreans interact, the more pressure it will put on Taiwan to agree to a framework with China."