Taipei, April 10 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Thursday Beijing's "one China" principle has impeded progress in relations across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen made the remarks while meeting with Bill Emmott, editor in chief of "The Economist," a prestigious British weekly.
Noting that Western countries generally think that cross-strait ties are now deadlocked, Emmott asked Chen about his view on the situation.
In response, Chen said Beijing's stubborn insistence on the so-called "one China" principle is to blame for the lingering cross-strait political limbo.
Over the past five decades, Chen said, the Republic of China on Taiwan has co-existed with the People's Republic of China on the mainland.
However, Chen went on, Beijing leaders have turned a blind eye to the ROC's continued existence as an independent sovereign state. Stressing that the ROC and the PRC have never been as one, Chen said Beijing's "one China" principle is unacceptable to Taiwan.
Beijing's "one China" principle is tantamount to its "one country, two systems" scheme that Beijing has used to take over Hong Kong from former British colonial rulers, Chen said, adding that both Beijing's "one China" principle and "one country, two systems" unification scheme relegate the ROC to part of the PRC or a local government or a special administrative region under the PRC like Hong Kong.
Despite the recent Beijing leadership reshuffle, Chen said he doesn't expect a change in Beijing's insistence on its "one China" principle. "Beijing's recalcitrant attitude has hindered progress in cross-strait relations and dampened the opening of direct transportation links," he added.
Asked about his views on Taiwan's economic prospects, Chen said some people have said Taiwan faces a threat of "industrial hollowing out" due to globalization and mainland China's strong "magnetic effect" in attracting foreign investment. "I don't think so, " Chen told his guest. "Taiwan's economic fundamentals remain sound and solid," he said.
Quoting a report released by "The Economist" in January, Chen said Taiwan ranks 18th among the 60 major countries around the world studied in terms of its business environment. "Our ranking is the third-best among Asian economies studied," he added.
In the past, Chen went on, Taiwan's business climate was rated as "good." In the January report, Taiwan's business environment for the next five years is measured to be "very good." "This is the source of our confidence," Chen noted.
He also cited a spate of figures to back his upbeat views, including Taiwan's foreign exchange reserves increasing from US$120 billion in 2001 to US$160 billion last year; local banks' average non-performing loan ratio declining to 6.1 percent in 2002 from the year-earlier level of 8.04 percent; Taiwan managing to register a 3.54 percent economic growth rate last year, higher than Britain's 1.7 percent, Singapore's 2.2 percent, Hong Kong's 2.3 percent and Japan's 0.3 percent.
Chen lauded Emmott for his contribution to the steep rise in "The Economist's" readership and influence since he assumed his current post in 1993.