President Ma Ying-jeou attended a celebration on the morning of March 9 marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). The president praised the efforts of the chairmen of the organization over the years, as well as its staff. President Ma also conferred posthumously the Award for Special Contribution to Cross-Strait Peace to the late SEF Chairman Koo Chen-fu (accepted on behalf of the former chairman by his wife, Dr. Cecilia Y. Koo).
Commenting on the historical context of the establishment of the SEF, President Ma noted that martial law was lifted in 1987, after which ROC citizens were allowed to visit relatives in mainland China. In 1988, the Executive Yuan established a temporary organization called the Mainland Affairs Task Force to handle cross-strait affairs. In 1990, the Red Cross organizations from both sides of the Taiwan Strait provided assistance in negotiations to address the issue of illegal cross-strait migration. As a result, the government came to see a need for a permanent and comprehensive organization to manage negotiations, cross-strait ties, and routine services.
The president stated that when he participated in the Mainland Affairs Task Force, the first task was to draft Article 11 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution, which provides as follows: "Rights and obligations between the people of the Chinese mainland area and those of the free area, and the disposition of other related affairs may be specified by law." This provided the basis for the establishment of the Executive Yuan's Mainland Affairs Council and the SEF, as well as the across-the-board planning of cross-strait relations.
President Ma noted that the SEF has engaged in many rounds of important cross-strait negotiations and exerted profound influence. In 1992, for instance, the SEF and its mainland Chinese counterpart (the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, ARATS) met in Hong Kong and reached a consensus whereby both sides accepted the "one China" principle, with the ROC interpreting "one China" as a reference to the Republic of China. The following year, the Koo-Wang talks were held in Singapore and culminated in the inking of four agreements. This was followed in subsequent years by: the Qiandao Lake Incident, in which Taiwanese tourists were kidnapped and murdered at a scenic area in mainland China's Zhejiang Province; former President Lee Teng-hui's visit to the United States; firing by mainland China of missiles into waters off Taiwan; public airing of the Two States Theory by former President Lee; and the Kuomintang's loss in the 2000 presidential election. The combination of these factors plunged cross-strait relations into a deep freeze. The general belief is that from 2000 to 2008, apart from the provision of routine services, the work of the SEF in terms of negotiations and other interactions came to a standstill.
The president mentioned that before taking office he began making plans for the development of cross-strait relations. After taking office, he asked SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung to head to mainland China to engage in a first round of talks with his mainland counterpart. Referred to as the first Chiang-Chen talks, agreements were reached to begin direct flights between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and to allow mainland Chinese tourists to come to Taiwan. As of today, the president said, the two sides have signed 15 agreements and reached one point of consensus, thus moving gradually toward the objective of peace and prosperity.
President Ma remarked that the Chinese civil war decades ago between the Nationalists and the Communists displaced countless people. However, as the people of both sides are all ethnic Chinese, we must find a way to forge peace, he said. In the course of seeking peace, however we must maintain the sovereignty of the ROC and the dignity of Taiwan, and in cross-strait affairs we must act in accordance with the framework of the ROC Constitution, maintain the status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" in the Taiwan Strait, and promote cross-strait ties on the foundation of the "1992 Consensus" and the principle of "one China, respective interpretations." Any negotiations, he commented, must be carried out under the principles of "equality," "dignity," and "reciprocity" to protect the interests of the people.
President Ma stressed that in handling cross-strait relations the government must keep three focal points uppermost in mind. The first focal point is the people—the government must "put Taiwan first for the benefit of the people." The second focal point is peace—without peace, we have nothing. In the pursuit of peace, however, the government will never sacrifice the nation's sovereignty or dignity. The third focal point is democracy—cross-strait policy must reflect national needs, enjoy public support, and be subject to the oversight of the Legislative Yuan. He said that all negotiations will be conducted in a transparent manner so long as it does not impact the process of the talks. This is the responsibility of the government to the people.
Acting under the framework of the Constitution, the government has ended the "Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of Communist Rebellion" and abolished the "Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion," and therefore no longer views mainland China as being led by a "rebel group," the president further remarked. However, the ROC government still is unable to recognize mainland China as a sovereign nation since the Chinese mainland is, according to Article 4 of the Constitution, "territory of the Republic of China according to its existing national boundaries." Consequently, while the two sides do not recognize each other's sovereignty, what they can do at this stage is to refrain from denying each other's authority to govern. In Article 2 of the Act Governing Relations Between The People Of The Taiwan Area and The Mainland Area, "Taiwan Area" refers to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and any other area under the effective control of the ROC government. Given this premise, the current "mutual non-recognition of sovereignty and mutual non-denial of authority to govern" can for the time being serve as an important basis to support the achievement of peaceful relations between the two sides and interaction as equals.
President Ma stated that the principles observed in the conduct of cross-strait relations by the SEF are supported by a very complicated but clear basis in theory and logic. Without these principles, cross-strait relations would continue to be at a standstill as they were for eight years during the previous administration. That situation, the president said, was not beneficial to the people, and was injurious to Taiwan's future. Therefore, we must all recognize political realities, regardless of our party affiliation or ideological bent. This is the only way the 23 million people of Taiwan can create a new path for themselves. The SEF has created quite a bit of history over the two decades since its establishment, and it will certainly continue to do so, he said.