Friday, February 03, 2006

TAIWAN TO STAND BY OWN DEFINITION OF 'STATUS QUO': MAC HEAD

Taipei, Feb. 2 (CNA) Taiwan, the U.S. and China's definitions of "Taiwan Strait status quo" have never been the same and it has become a wrestling ground for the three countries. Taiwan, as a sovereign state, will firmly stand by its own definition, said Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu Thursday.

"Taiwan is a democratic and sovereign country that has the rights to participate in international organizations, such as the World
Health Organization and the United Nations. The fact of Taiwan being a sovereign country is not negotiable. We have our own opinions and will not compromise on some issues," Wu stressed.

President Chen Shui-bian said on Jan. 29, Lunar New Year's Day, that Taiwan should seriously consider participating in the United Nations under the name of "Taiwan" and abolishing the National Unification Council and the National Unification Guidelines, which were established when the Kuomintang was in power and set unification with China as the ultimate goal for the country.

The U.S. State Department responded by saying that U.S. is opposed to any unilateral move by either Taiwan or China to change the Taiwan Strait status quo.

"Taiwan, U.S. and China's definitions of 'Taiwan Strait status quo' have never been the same, " Wu said. For example, he added, Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign country but the U.S. and China obviously disagree. Taiwan and the U.S. have different definitions of "status quo", a term over which Taiwan and China have disputed for years, he said.

"The U.S.'s definition of status quo has been blurry, " Wu said. He quoted former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs James Kelly's report to the U.S. Congress in April 2004: "The U.S. does not support... unilateral moves that would
change the status quo as we define it."

"But the U.S. never really defines it, " Wu noted. He said the U.S. hopes to keep flexibility for all sides involved in cross-strait
relations with this "blurry" strategy, which sometimes does serve Taiwan's interests well.