Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) President Lee Teng-hui renewed his call on Friday for peaceful solution to disputes between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Lee made the appeal during a meeting with Japanese lawmaker, Masateru Nakayama, who is currently on a visit here.
Lee said the Republic of China government cannot accept Beijing's "one China" principle which downgrades the ROC to a local-level government.
Stressing that cross-strait relations can make positive headway only under the condition that the two sides regard each other as equals, Lee said his definition of cross-strait ties as a "special state-to-state relationship" only affirms historical facts and political reality and does not mark any shift in the ROC's policy toward mainland China.
In an interview with a German radio station on July 9, Lee said cross-strait ties should be on a "special state-to-state" basis, drawing furious reaction from communist China, which views Lee's statement as a move to promote Taiwan independence.
Lee told the Japanese lawmaker that the definition only reflects facts and is also aimed at clarifying "parity" and "equality" between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Lee said the clarification is necessary in preparation for serious talks with mainland China on sensitive political issues, including eventual democratic unification of the two sides.
The president went on to say that he has consistently advocated cross-strait dialogue and exchanges. "This policy has remained unchanged," Lee reiterated, adding that he hopes Taipei and Beijing can continue strengthening exchanges and dialogue and resolving their disputes strictly by peaceful means.
For his part, Nakayama said he fully supports Lee's "special state-to-state" definition as it is an indisputable fact that the ROC is an independent sovereign state. The 10-term member of the lower house of the Japanese Diet further said the Japanese government should make greater efforts to promote its relations with Taiwan.