CNA Staff Reporter
The fourth round of Taiwan-China talks concluded last week with three agreements signed amid a series of protests by the opposition and mixed views toward a proposed trade pact that seeks closer bilateral economic relations.
Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung signed three agreements with Chen Yunlin, president of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) , in the fourth round of such talks in the central city of Taichung, where protesters harassed the negotiations all week.
The SEF, the quasi-official organization set up to deal with cross-strait talks, and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top China policy-making agency, both lauded the talks as "fruitful," saying that the 12 agreements signed and a consensus reached over the past two years will benefit the people of both sides.
The U.S. maintained its long-term policy and cheered from the sidelines, encouraging Taiwan and China to engage in peaceful talks to resolve their differences and reduce tension across the strait.
But that did not stop the opposition and non-believers from staging protests throughout Chen's visit, with the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) blasting the government for non-transparency and failure to respect mainstream public opinion in dealing with bilateral matters.
Twenty meters away from where Chen Yunlin made his farewell speech Dec. 25, a famous quote engraved on a stone wall reads: "The meaning of life is in the birth of new lives that will succeed us in this universe; the goal of living is in the betterment of living conditions of the entire humankind."
The man who said this was Chiang Kai-shek, the generalissimo who lost to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese civil war and retreated to Taiwan in 1949, starting 60 years of hostility across the Taiwan Strait.
On Dec. 21, the Chinese negotiator's charter flight touched down at Taichung's Chingchuankang Airport. Coincidentally, the airport, which is now known as Taichung International Airport, got its initial name in dedication to late ROC Army Gen. Chiu Ching-chuan, who killed himself after losing a battle in the civil war.
The contradiction shows how much times have changed since 1949. Once bitter rivals, the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are now collaborating to boost each other's economic development.
Also on the day of Chen's departure, a Beijing court sentenced dissident Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison for campaigning for political freedom by organizing the "Charter 08" petition.
Up until now, Taiwan has only been allowed to participate in a handful of international organizations because of China's interference and there are more than 1,000 missiles deployed in China aimed at Taiwan, still considered a renegade province by China.
But Chen Yunlin said all the right things during his visit.
"Hopefully, the right path for peaceful cross-strait development will be broader in the future, " Chen said in his farewell speech, adding that he appreciated the Taiwan people's "understanding, support and caring."
He also offered to endorse Taichung City, where the talks took place, and Sun Moon Lake, a favorite among Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.
The protesters said they do not oppose better relations with China but fear that closer economic relations will cost them jobs in case of a large influx of Chinese labor and products and a bigger exodus of Taiwanese companies to China.
The government has acknowledged it needs to step up its efforts to explain to the public the positives and negatives of a proposed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) , which is on the agenda of the fifth round of talks scheduled for next spring.
It has also reiterated that the whole process of negotiation is transparent and beneficial to Taiwan and that the government will safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty every step of the way.
It is also maintaining its policy of "economy first, politics second" in dealing with China.
However, Kenneth Lin, an economics professor at National Taiwan University, argued that "whatever the issue is (between Taiwan and China), it's always a political one in the end."
It all boils down to one simple question, Lin said -- "Can China be trusted by the people of Taiwan? "
The failed tax agreement also suggests that when it comes to conflict of interest, such as tax revenue, more discussion and negotiation will be needed for both sides to find a solution.
Chiang described the cross-strait exchanges in the past two years as having only "scratched the surface of what we can accomplish in the end" and as being "a long and winding road."