Taipei, April 1 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu said Tuesday that "one Chinese" should replace "one China, " saying that the people of Taiwan and mainland China share the same culture, although Taiwan is by no means a part of People's Republic of China.
Lu made the remarks when she received Gordon G. Chang, an American lawyer and the author of "The Coming Collapse of China, " at the Presidential Office.
Lu said the mainland should be looked at not only from the economic perspective, but also from the political and cultural perspectives.
She pointed out that on the handling of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, it is apparent that Beijing's mainstream values differs from those of other countries, as well as from Taiwan's.
Noting that the disease originated in southeastern mainland China, she said Beijing tried to cover up the disease and added that even Taiwan businessmen operating in the mainland had to learn about the seriousness of the disease through reports from Taiwan. "Even today, the world is still not clear about the real SARS situation in the mainland," Lu said.
Chang and Ohmae both view the mainland from an economic perspective, but draw different conclusion -- the former predicting the collapse of China, while the latter speculating that a "Chinese federation" of Taiwan and mainland China will be formed in 2005, with Taiwan businessmen flocking to the mainland and growing investment leading to political integration.
Lu claimed to be the first person to rebut Ohamae, saying that his conclusion is both dogmatic and illogical.
The vice president also exchanged views with Chang on a wide range of issues, including his predictions on China, the future of communist parties in Asia, the development of the mainland in the future, the role played by the mainland in the U.S.-Iraq war and North Korea nuclear weapons.