Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) Future cross-Taiwan Strait talks should be institutionalized and could follow the example of the Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) between the United States and China, a Chinese scholar said in Taipei Friday.
"Both sides should seize the opportunity and pre-emptively work out a road map for future talks following the signing of the economic cooperation framework agreement, " Sun Zhe, a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua University said in a seminar on the development of "post-ECFA" cross-strait relations. "The current U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue could serve as a good example."
The mechanism would provide a platform for China and Taiwan to continue their dialogue regardless of domestic political atmosphere and the ever-changing dynamics of international politics, he said.
Cross-strait relations have been at an all-time high since pro-unification President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May 2008. That was not the case during 2000-2008, however, during which pro-independence Chen Shui-bian was president and China shut down almost all the negotiation channels with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.
Citing the example of the SED, Sun said China and the U.S. never stop talking to each other within the framework despite occasional tensions. The establishment of such a platform would take bilateral exchanges beyond the current Kuomintang-Communist Party of China (CPC) platform in case the DPP comes back to power, he said.
Sun said there are still concerns over the future development of cross-strait relations, which have always been affected by international politics, especially the triangular relations between China, Taiwan and the U.S.
"A rising China is still gauging its relations with the U.S. Given Taiwan's strong ties with the U.S., cross-strait relations will be inevitably impacted," he said.
A stronger China also speaks louder in the international arena and has "fallen in love with drawing red lines," Sun said.
"But I don't think China should draw a red line in its relations with Taiwan," he added.
Scholars at the seminar agreed that China's view on Taiwan and its one-China principle has changed with time, but it will likely be the key in future political negotiations and talks on military confidence-building measures (CBMs) after extensive bilateral economic exchanges.
It will be important for both sides to decide how to interpret the "one-China principle" and explain the legal status of the Republic of China at that stage, Sun said.
Shaw Chong-hai, a political professor at Taipei's Culture University, said: "Beijing should be able to accept new ideas and mechanisms as long as they're not based on a 'country-to-country' principle."
He also called for China to replace its one-China principle with a more flexible description of the "integrity of sovereignty and territory."
Taiwan and China should set aside their arguments on sovereignty and view each other as "different governing powers" so that dialogue can continue, said Yang Kai-huang, a political scientist at Ming Chuan University. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc