Taipei, April 28 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, who also serves as the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman, reiterated his "Five Noes, five do's" policy in cross-Taiwan Strait relations in a speech Friday.
Ma, who is expected to run in the 2008 presidential election as a "pan-blue alliance" candidate, said the "Five Noes, five do's" pledge will be the cornerstone of his and the KMT's policy once the party returns to power.
Ma delivered a speech titled "Embracing Chellenges Ahead: Ma Ying-jeou's Vision for Taipei and Taiwan" at a monthly European Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (ECCT) luncheon, attended by more than 180 ECCT members.
"The five noes has become the common denominator in Washington, Beijing and Taiwan," Ma said, adding he would admit he "borrowed" this from President Chen Shui-bian.
President Chen said in his May 2000 inaugural speech that as long as China promises not to use military force against Taiwan, he will not declare Taiwan independence, will not change the official name of the country, will not include the "state-to-state" theory in the Constitution, will not promote a referendum to change the cross-Taiwan Strait status quo, and will not abolish the the National Unification Council (NUC) and its guidelines.
But the "five do's" he and the KMT have been advocating are even more important for Taiwan's future development, Ma said.
For the "five do's," Ma suggested that both sides resume talks between governments; work toward military confidence-building measures; work toward the creation of a common market; try to achieve a "modus vivendi" -- a temporary agreement between contending parties prior to a final settlement -- on Taiwan's participation in international organizations; and accelerate cross-strait cultural and educational exchanges.
Ma expressed concern that by 2015 Taiwan could be left out and "economically marginalized" when 10 ASEAN countries, including China, Japan and South Korea establish the largest economic integration in the world, representing 2 billion people with a combined US$12 trillion GDP.
This is why he and the KMT will have a "pragmatic and open" approach in dealing with China and will begin to remove legal difficulties hampering exchanges between Taiwan and China, Ma said.
"We can't wait for another two years; otherwise Taiwan will lose its competiveness," he said.