President Lee Teng-hui stressed the supremacy of national security over other national goals today. Without national security, there would be no need to talk about the guarantee and development of people's property and well-being, he said. "I think the leadership and people of every country should have the same demands of national security."
President Lee made the remarks when meeting this morning with Mr. William J. Perry and other visitors of the National Committee on US-China Relations. Ding Mou-shih, Senior Advisor to the President, and Foreign Minister Jason Hu were also present.
During the meeting, President Lee welcomed Mr. Perry's visit to the Republic of China and inquired about what he had learned from his trip to mainland China.
The former US Secretary of Defense said that the meeting last October between the Straits Exchange Foundation's Koo Chen-fu and Wang Daohan of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait carries positive significance. On his second visit to the ROC, he is very pleased with the current development of cross-strait relations and in particular, with the planned visit by Mr. Wang to Taiwan, he added.
The President said that Mr. Wang is expected to visit Taiwan later this year, but the time of his visit has not yet been determined. It will be finalized after the consultations between the SEF and the ARATS. "We look forward to Mr. Wang's visit," he said.
President Lee said, "I personally hope that Mr. Wang will take this rare opportunity to tour around and observe Taiwan, especially the rural countryside." As this will be Wang's first visit to Taiwan, President Lee expressed his hope that through this visit, Wang will understand the local people's thinking and lifestyle and, in particular, the current development of democracy and freedom here.
He said that though the time and itinerary of Wang's visit have yet to be finalized, if time allows, "I would even be willing to take Mr. Wang on a tour around Taiwan so that he can obtain first-hand knowledge of Taiwan people's thinking and the history and current development of Taiwan."
On the topic of TMD (Theater Missile Defense), President Lee stated clearly that national security is supreme to any other goal. Actually the TMD is still at a stage of study and discussion. "I don't understand why Peking has reacted so strongly to our inclusion in the system when there is no concrete project yet," he said.
He said that whether the ROC will participate in TMD involves the consideration of many factors. But basically, if Peking abandons its hostility against Taiwan, the massive missile buildup along its coast, and its hegemonic attitude, TMD would not be necessary at all. In brief, Peking remains a major factor posing threat to Asia's security, President Lee maintained.
Mr. Perry told the President that while he was in mainland China, he and his delegation also exchanged views with relevant mainland Chinese authorities on the TMD issue, and that Wang Daohan also expressed his hope that both sides of the Strait can reduce their military equipment.
According to the visiting guest, he proposed that Peking could moratorium additional missile deployments along its coast and then wait and see how Taiwan would respond. However, he has no idea whether or not Peking will accept his proposal, he added. Reduction in military deployment on the part of Peking would mitigate a great deal of misgivings between the two sides of the Strait, he maintained.
On the ROC's national position, President Lee reiterated solemnly that Taipei and Peking are two equal political entities. "We will not and do not need to declare independence," he stressed. "We can never accept Peking's version that they are the central government while we are a local one."
He noted that Peking has not only obstructed but also insulted the ROC in the international arena. But even so, "we remain patient, hoping to resolve the problem with them," he said.
"It is our sincerest hope that mainland China will change-into a more democratic and freer society." The President said that people should not just look at the surface. Citing Hong Kong as an example, he elaborated that in fact, Hong Kong has been facing many problems, a far cry from the "one country, two systems" as trumpeted by Peking, and that one can get a clear answer of Hong Kong's problems by asking the people there. The President said that the ROC has implemented a free and democratic system. For a long time, the ROC has carried out various reforms in order to obtain these goals of freedom and democracy. "What we have been pursuing is peace, democracy and freedom," he said. "It is my belief that these goals of the ROC are identical to those of the United States and other democratic countries."