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For more than two years, from June 1995 to September 1997, the Taiwan authorities ignored the mainland's call for a genuine return to the "one-China" principle in speech and action, ignored the strong demands of the people on the island for the "three links," and instead dished out the so-called "no haste, be patient" policy in August 1996 and imposed comprehensive restrictions on cross-strait exchanges.
The tense deadlock in cross-strait relations has not been able to be broken.
1. Background of the second Wang-Koo talks
In September 1997, Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, once again reiterated in his political report to the 15 th CPC National Congress that the Taiwan authorities had opened "political talks."
In this spirit, on 6 November 1997, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) took the initiative to send a letter to the SEF, inviting Jiao Renhe, vice chairman and secretary general of the SEF, to attend the opening ceremony of the "Seminar on the Prospect of Cross-Century Cross-Strait Economic Relations" to be held by the ARATS in Xiamen from 7 to 9 December, and to pay a six-day visit to Xiamen, Shanghai, Beijing, and other places.
The ARATS's original intention was to arrange for Tang Shubei and Jiao Renhe to meet naturally to discuss the topic, time, and place of the "Wang-Koo talks" by participating in the seminar, so as to "warm up" for the second "Wang-Koo talks" and to create a good atmosphere for procedural consultations on cross-strait political talks.
However, after studying the ARATS's letter, the Taiwan side held that the mainland's invitation was a hidden "political purpose" to dismantle Taiwan's "no haste, be patient" policy, and therefore "under the guidance of the presidential administration's decision-making," the SEF proposed in its reply letter to the ARATS that it hoped that Chairman Koo Chen-fu would personally lead a delegation to visit Beijing, Shanghai, and other places on the mainland to meet with Wang Daohan and discuss the resumption of talks between the two associations.
The first dove of peace released by the mainland of the motherland did not return an olive branch.
The series of measures taken by the mainland of the motherland to promote cross-strait political talks and improve cross-strait relations have won the affirmation and support of the international community.
During Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States in October 1997, a spokesman for the US State Department made it clear that the United States does not support Taiwan independence, does not support "one China, one Taiwan" or "two Chinas," or does not support Taiwan's entry into the United Nations.
US President Clinton also said that the sooner the cross-strait dialogue is, the better.
At the beginning of 1998, when some think-tank figures of the US Government, such as Kenneth Lieberthal and Ho Hanli, went to Taiwan to attend a seminar, they also openly declared that if Taiwan declared independence, the United States would not send troops to help it, and said that they "do not believe that negotiations under the one-China premise will make Taiwan's situation worse."
Second, the voices of people from all walks of life on the island calling for improving cross-strait relations have become even stronger, and the KMT's 15 seats in the county and mayoral elections at the end of 1997 fell sharply from 15 seats in the previous term to 8 seats.
In February 1998, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has always advocated "Taiwan independence," also convened its first "China Policy Seminar" since its founding under the consideration of being in power, and put forward four proposals, including "all-round cross-strait talks" and "strengthening the foundation and advancing westward."
The DPP is actively intervening in cross-strait affairs and intends to compete with the KMT for the leading position in cross-strait relations. Under strong internal and external pressure, the Taiwan authorities can no longer pass the buck.
2. Tang Xu meeting
On 7 February 1998, Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) underwent a personnel reshuffle. At the behest of the top decision-makers, Xu Huiyou, who had been the third deputy secretary general of the SEF and had failed in the 1997 Nantou county magistrate election, returned to the SEF as vice chairman and secretary general, while Jiao Renhe, former vice chairman and secretary general of the SEF, was transferred to the post of "chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the Executive Yuan."
In addition to his qualifications as a founding member of the SEF, he also participated in all the consultations with the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and has rich experience in dealing with the mainland, the main reason why Xu Huiyou was able to rise from the first-level supervisor of the SEF to the vice chairman and secretary general of the SEF in a short period of time is that he has been appreciated by people at the highest level for his tough stance in upholding the will of the authorities in the negotiations.
After the reshuffling of the negotiating team, the Taiwan authorities began to respond to the mainland's appeal.
On February 22, the "Executive Yuan" Hsiao Wan-chang said in his policy address to the "Legislative Yuan":
"Taking the second 'Wang-Koo talks' as a starting point, as long as the issues that are conducive to the peaceful development of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the democratic reunification of the country can be raised step by step to carry out communication and dialogue, especially for the issues that affect the rights and interests of the people on both sides of the strait and arise from the exchanges, the two sides have already agreed to include them in the agenda of consultations, and should be carried out on a priority basis. ”
In response to the Taiwan authorities' statement, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) immediately sent a letter to the SEF on 24 July, expressing its "willingness to accept the authorization of the departments concerned to consult with you on procedural matters concerning cross-strait political talks, and then proceed to arrange for the resumption of talks on economic and routine issues," "Before the above-mentioned consultations begin, exchanges and contacts between the two associations should be further expanded to strengthen mutual communication," and "we welcome Mr. Koo Chen-fu's visit at an appropriate time." Personnel at the appropriate level of the two associations may make necessary preparations for this during the exchange of visits."
On the day that the ARATS sent the letter, Hsiao Wan-chang welcomed "the mainland's ability to make a positive response to the resumption of cross-strait consultations and the promotion of high-level visits by the SEF and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait." He said that as long as it is conducive to the peaceful development of the two sides of the strait and the democratic reunification of the country, China is willing to accept it.
On 26 July, the "Mainland Affairs Council" issued an official statement in which it was "gratified" by the ARATS's letter, saying that it would instruct the SEF to make appropriate arrangements and make further contacts with the mainland, hoping that this would actively promote exchanges and mutual visits between the two associations and foster a good atmosphere for the resumption of cross-strait talks.
On 22 April, Zhan Zhihong, director of the Planning Division of Taiwan's "Mainland Affairs Council" and deputy secretary general of the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), came to Beijing to consult with Li Yafei, deputy secretary general of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), and others on matters concerning the exchange of visits and exchanges between the two associations.
From 24 to 31 July, Li Yafei, deputy secretary general of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, led a "delegation of foreign language teaching in primary and secondary schools in Beijing" to visit Taiwan and held consultations with Zhan Zhihong on Koo Chenfu's visit to the mainland this autumn.
However, the Taiwan side insisted on holding a "Hsu (Huiyou) Tang (Shubei) meeting" before the Wang-Koo meeting.
On 19 August, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) sent a letter to the SEF, suggesting that Koo Chenfu and his wife and the SEF board of directors and supervisors be invited to visit Shanghai and Beijing from 15 to 21 September or from 12 to 18 October, and to propose specific itinerary.
On 3 September, the SEF replied to the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), suggesting that Koo Chen-fu lead a delegation to visit Beijing and Shanghai from 14 to 19 October, and again proposed that Hsu Hui-you go to Beijing in mid-September to directly agree with Tang Shubei on the itinerary of the Wang-Koo meeting.
On 15 September, ARATS sent a letter to the SEF, "agreeing that Mr. Koo will lead a delegation of your directors to visit Beijing and Shanghai from 14 to 19 October," and that Xu Huiyou, vice chairman and secretary general of the SEF, should go to Beijing from 8 to 10 October or from 21 to 23 September to discuss the details of the visit.
From 22 to 24 September, Xu Huiyou came to Beijing to hold consultations with Zhang Jincheng, secretary general of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), and others, to determine the itinerary of Koo Chenfu's visit to Shanghai first and then to Beijing, and to make arrangements for Koo Chenfu to meet with Jiang Zemin, Qian Qichen, and other CPC leaders in Beijing.
3. The course of the second Wang-Koo talks
At 3:42 p.m. on October 14, 1998, Gu Zhenfu and his wife Yan Zhuoyun, Xu Huiyou, secretary general of the Straits Exchange Foundation, Zhan Zhihong, deputy secretary general, and Zhang Ronggong, chairman of the Kuomintang Mainland Trade Union, arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and began a six-day visit to the mainland of the motherland. This was the first time that Koo Zhenfu had returned to the mainland since 1948.
At 5:40 p.m., Wang Daohan, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, and Gu Zhenfu immediately held their first meeting at the Peace Hall of the Peace Hotel in Shanghai.
When the two old men shook hands again, it had been more than five years since the "Wang-Koo talks" in Singapore. The years have carved new winds and frosts on the faces of the two old men who are over 80 years old.
In his welcoming speech, Wang Daohan once again expressed the attitude of the mainland of the motherland in hoping to realize cross-strait political talks at an early date.
He said:
"Promoting cross-strait political talks is the key to comprehensively advancing cross-strait relations at the present stage," and "formally ending hostilities under the one-China principle is a necessary step for further developing cross-strait relations, which conforms to the interests of the people on both sides of the strait and the aspirations of the Taiwan compatriots for stability and peace; at the same time, this step embodies our important idea of seeking truth from facts and gradually realizing peaceful reunification in stages."
Regarding the Taiwan side's request that the talks between the two associations begin with the resumption of routine consultations, Wang Daohan also made a clear response:
"In the past few years, the two associations have held 'Wang-Koo talks' and many routine talks, which have played an important role in promoting cross-strait exchanges. Now that the situation has changed, new content should be given to the two associations and the channels for the two associations. In the past, the fundamental reason why it was difficult to make progress in the talks between the two associations was that political issues had already been involved and there were no conditions for discussions.
As a matter of fact, political issues cannot be avoided on routine topics, and if political talks are avoided and confined to routine talks, this is not conducive to the solution of the problem and to the development of cross-strait relations. As a result, political negotiations have been objectively put on the agenda. The realization of cross-strait political talks will create better conditions for resolving cross-strait economic issues."
He also said: "After the two sides of the strait have started procedural talks for political talks, the two associations can resume talks on economic affairs."
Gu Zhenfu claimed:
"100 years ago, Taiwan was ceded, and after World War II, it was returned to the Republic of China in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration, and since 1949, the two sides of the strait have been separated from each other and have not been subordinate to each other for nearly 50 years." The positioning of the two sides of the strait must be based on this historical fact and mutual respect, so that the dialogue between the two sides can be more substantive, and gradually seek the long-term well-being of all Chinese.
Koo Zhenfu pointed out that in cross-strait consultations, priority should first be given to resolving issues related to the people's rights and interests, such as travel safety, personal and property safety, protection for Taiwan businessmen's investment, and joint efforts to crack down on crime.
The positions of the two sides differ greatly.
At the subsequent press conference, the responsible persons of the two associations also expounded their own positions.
Tang Shubei, executive vice president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, said at the news conference that Chairman Wang and Chairman Koo had a frank exchange of views on a series of political issues in a calm atmosphere, and this was a good start.
It is an objective fact that there are major differences between the two sides of the strait on a series of major political issues, so the two sides should conduct dialogue in a frank, patient, and sincere manner. Tang Shubei said that today's meeting between Wang and Koo is not to argue about why cross-strait exchanges have stopped, but to jointly look for situations in which there are differences, how to move forward, how to promote benign interaction between the two associations, and find a way forward.
Tang Shubei announced that the political dialogue between the two sides has begun!
Hui Huiyou said:
During the meeting, Koo Chen-fu stressed that cross-strait relations should return to the channel of consultations, and then seek political differences from them and gradually resolve them; the most important thing now is to abide by the agreement of the first "Koo-Wang talks" to resume talks as soon as possible and create a good atmosphere to promote the affairs of the two associations, and at the same time to restart cross-strait consultations that have been interrupted for three years, so as to further promote the second "Koo-Wang talks."
At 4:15 p.m. on the 15th, Wang Daohan and Gu Zhenfu held their second meeting at the Shanghai New Jin Jiang Hotel.
(1) The two associations have decided to hold dialogues on political, economic, and other aspects, and the responsible persons of the two associations will make specific arrangements through consultations; (2) Further strengthen multi-level exchanges and mutual visits between the two associations; (3) The two associations will strengthen case-by-case assistance in incidents involving the safety of the lives and property of compatriots on both sides of the strait; (4) Wang Daohan will visit Taiwan at an appropriate time.
4. Gu Zhenfu's trip to Beijing
At 1 p.m. on the 16th, Gu Zhenfu and his entourage left Shanghai and set off for Beijing to carry out the most practical and significant visit to the mainland. In the evening, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait held a reception at the Diaoyutai Hotel to welcome Gu Zhenfu and his entourage.
On the 17th, the sky of Beijing in the golden autumn was blue, and the Biyun Temple of Xiangshan looked more solemn in the pine and cypress. At 9:30 a.m., Mr. and Mrs. Koo Zhenfu led members of the SEF delegation to meet at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. In the face of the reporters crowding forward, Koo Zhenfu said that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait greatly admire the great Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and his ideas are still of practical significance.
After leaving Xiangshan, Gu Zhenfu and his wife came to Peking University again, browsed the library, and stopped at Weiming Lake. When she came to the statue of Mr. Yan Fu, the first president of Peking University, Ms. Yan Zhuoyun, the granddaughter of Mr. Yan Fu and the wife of Gu Zhenfu, couldn't contain her excitement and said that coming to Peking University was like returning to her own school, and hoped that her grandfather's idea of running a school would continue at Peking University.
That evening, Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with and hosted a banquet for Koo Zhenfu and his entourage in the Beijing Room of the Great Hall of the People.
Chen Yunlin affirmed that Koo Chen-fu's visit is of important and positive significance to promoting contacts and dialogues between the two associations and improving cross-strait relations; he hoped that the two associations will continue to work hard to seek common ground while reserving differences, expand consensus, and create conditions for the early procedural talks of cross-strait political talks and the subsequent resumption of economic and routine talks between the two associations.
Subsequently, Gu Zhenfu and his entourage watched 12 excerpts of Peking Opera performed by people from the mainland Peking Opera circles at the Chang'an Grand Theater.
On the morning of 18 July, Vice Premier Qian Qichen met with a mainland delegation led by Gu Zhenfu at Building 2 of the Diaoyutai Hotel.
At 3 p.m., Jiang Zemin met with Koo Zhenfu and his wife, Xu Huiyou and Zhan Zhihong, chairman and deputy secretary general of the Straits Exchange Foundation, and Zhang Ronggong, director of the Kuomintang Mainland Trade Union, in the Four Seasons Hall of Building 18 of the Diaoyutai Hotel.
During the 100-minute meeting, Jiang Zemin welcomed Koo Chen-fu's visit to the mainland of the motherland, expressed his views on major issues related to cross-strait relations, and expressed appreciation for the four-point consensus reached at the Wang-Koo meeting.
At 6:30 p.m., the SEF held a thank-you banquet at the Shangri-La Hotel.
At 9:35 a.m. on the 19th, Koo Zhenfu and his entourage returned to Taiwan after completing their visit to the mainland.
The "Wang-Koo meeting" has ended, and the reactions of the major political parties on the island of Taiwan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the New Party, can be described as very different.
5. Obstacles artificially erected by Taiwan
Although the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which openly advocates "Taiwan independence," said that it was not completely satisfied, it still gave the mainland delegation a "passing" evaluation.
DPP members said that Koo Chen-fu's trip to the mainland has four points worthy of recognition:
First, it has established a model of cross-strait dialogue and interaction, which is a benign development for the international community or both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and is also in line with the DPP's policy of all-round dialogue between the two sides of the strait.
Second, in the course of the dialogue, the differences between the two sides were fully revealed.
The third is to let the mainland know that Taiwan still has considerable bargaining chips on issues such as democratization and international cooperation;
Fourth, Koo Chen-fu has repeatedly used the process of Taiwan's democratic development to highlight Taiwan's subjectivity.
The DPP also made four proposals to the KMT:
Replace "one China with separate rule" with "mutual non-rule", counter the "reunification process" with "democratic progress", respond to "political dialogue" with "public opinion", and break through the "international blockade" with "international cooperation".
Under the expectations of the people on both sides of the strait and the international community, Wang Daohan and Gu Zhenfu shook hands for the second time, and high-level contacts between the two sides of the strait, which had been interrupted for more than three years, were resumed. However, the various performances of the Taiwan side in the current "Wang-Koo meeting" have added new difficulties to the development of cross-strait relations and political negotiations in the future.
First, the mainland's call for "political dialogue" should be avoided with "constructive dialogue."
Just as Yin Zong-wen, director of Taiwan's "National Security Bureau," frankly admitted, the "Koo-Wang meeting" was held at a time when the United States, Japan, and other countries were deeply afraid that cross-strait relations would deteriorate and be drawn into the whirlpool of war, and they were all calling on the two sides of the strait to start dialogue immediately. Therefore, in order to avoid "dancing to the tune of the mainland," the Taiwan authorities have specially positioned Koo Chen-fu's current visit to the mainland as a "constructive dialogue," and Koo Chen-fu himself has argued that "constructive dialogue is broader than political dialogue."
Second, in addition to Koo Chen-fu, SEF delegation members also took advantage of various occasions on the mainland to propagate the Taiwan authorities' political stance of "separate rule between the two sides of the strait and non-subordination to each other" and demanded that Taiwan be given "space for international survival." The "Mainland Affairs Council" and other relevant departments have continually issued statements or statements to give full support to the island.
Third, he put forward that "democracy on the mainland is the basis for cross-strait reunification" and demanded that China practice "Taiwan-style democracy" and set preconditions for cross-strait peace talks and reunification. On 20 October, when Lee Teng-hui met with Koo Chen-fu and members of the SEF delegation to the mainland, he forcefully stated that democratization is the trend and the only way, and that "as long as the mainland is democratized, everything will be easy to discuss."
He said that although the Chinese Communists have repeatedly called for political negotiations or procedural consultations for political negotiations, we believe that at the present stage, there are still great differences of opinion between the two sides of the strait on such basic issues as the definition of "one China," the division of rule between the two sides of the strait, and diplomatic space, so the most pragmatic way at the present stage is to face "one divided China" frankly, respect each other, and engage in constructive dialogue.
On 2 November, just over 10 days after the conclusion of the "Wang-Koo Meeting," Taiwan convened the "Executive Yuan's 87 Year Mainland Work Conference," which was the first mainland work conference held in Taiwan since cross-strait relations reached a deadlock in 1995. According to Taiwanese media reports, about 170 officials at or above the "department level" attended the event. The meeting continued to emphasize the above-mentioned positions of the Taiwan authorities.
Hsiao Wan-chang, the "premier," boasted of Taiwan's democratic achievements and claimed to promote cross-strait democratic exchanges at the grassroots level in order to gradually achieve democratic reunification.
Zhang Jingyu, chairman of the "Mainland Affairs Council," and others made it clear that the time is not ripe for cross-strait political talks, and the space for cross-strait political talks in the future is extremely limited, so the two sides of the strait should give priority to discussing issues related to the people's rights and interests.
We cannot but see that the cross-strait political talks and the road to the reunification of the motherland are still full of many difficulties and obstacles that we need to overcome.
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