Vice President Lien Chan indicated today that neither "Taiwan independence" nor "one China, one Taiwan," nor "two China's" is the policy of the Republic of China. The ROC's policy is clear--that is, to pursue national reunification under a system of freedom, democracy and equitable distribution of wealth, he said.
The Vice President made the remarks when meeting this noon at the Taipei Guest House with Mr. Richard Bush, Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan. He said that it is the common wish of the ROC's 21-million people to participate in international organizations and the world community, and that no responsible democratic government can ignore its people's desire of this kind. There should be channels for the voice of 21-million people of the ROC on Taiwan to be heard in the international community. Their rights must not be discriminated against or deprived, he asserted.
By reviewing the history of the Peking-Washington talks in Warsaw, Vice President Lien explored Peking's negotiation strategy. He said that Peking has often used an abstract principle as an excuse to contain its counterpart, and by the same strategy, it is now using the principle of the so-called "one China" as the precondition for cross-strait talks. "This is something like digging a pit to entrap its counterpart," he added.
Mr. Bush stated clearly that there is no change in the U.S. policy toward the ROC. The so-called "new three no's" is merely a reiteration of the established U.S. position, and nothing else, he said. Meanwhile, the U.S. government will continue its arms sales to Taiwan according to the Taiwan Relations Act, and it does not consider its continued sales of defensive weapons to Taiwan as a barrier in the development of cross-strait relations, he said.
The AIT Chairman said that Washington has consistently supported a peaceful solution of the differences between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. is pleased to see the development that Mr. Koo Chen-fu, Chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, is scheduled to visit mainland China this coming August at the invitation of mainland China, he added.
Following the conversation, Vice President Lien hosted a luncheon for Mr. Bush. Those also attending the banquet included: Fredrick Chien, Speaker of the National Assembly; Ding Mou-shih, Secretary-General of the National Security Council; Foreign Minister Jason Hu; Defense Minister Chiang Chung-ling; Finance Minister Paul Chiu; Education Minister Lin Ching-jiang; Economics Minister Wang Chih-kang; Central Bank Governor Perng Fai-nan; Su Chi, Deputy Secretary-General to the President, and Darryl Johnson, Director of AIT's Taipei office.