Opinion Taiwan must not walk away from years of agreements with China
By Terry Gou
July 17, 2023
Terry Gou, the founder of Foxconn, is a leading figure in the Kuomintang (KMT) political party in Taiwan.
With
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showing that large-scale war involving
great powers is a 21st-century reality, the Taiwan Strait has reemerged
as one of the most dangerous front lines in the world. Recent visits to
Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary
Janet L. Yellen opened a more promising pathway for U.S.-China relations
than has existed in the past few years, but as long as the future of
Taiwan remains fraught, there cannot be stability in those relations nor
assurance of the peace that the people of Taiwan deserve.
Beijing,
Washington and Taipei share responsibility for the current state of
confrontation. But Taiwan is most at risk — and it is up to Taiwan, its
people and its leaders to take the necessary steps to secure its future.
The
current Democratic Progressive Party leadership has only made the
situation more tense. Under the so-called 1992 Consensus, Taiwan and
China agreed to accept the framework of One China — although the parties
have differing interpretations of that term — and held discussions that
over the years resulted in a number of productive agreements. But
shortly after Tsai Ing-wen became Taiwan’s president in 2016, China
cited her refusal to accept Beijing’s interpretation — which includes
Taiwan as part of China — as a justification to end the cross-strait
talks, and they have not resumed.
Vice President Lai Ching-te,
who is running to succeed Tsai as president, has called for reducing
trade ties with the mainland, which he calls “dependencies,” and insists
that they can be replaced by an international network of partners. Like
Tsai, he rejects the One China framework.
But the 1992
Consensus the ruling party wishes to walk away from has facilitated
millions of visits across the strait, massive investments and two-way
trade, economic growth, hundreds of weekly direct flights, a relaxation
in tensions and a sense of optimism about a peaceful future on both
sides. By abandoning the One China framework for talks, the current
leaders in Taiwan and those in their party who would replace them have
greatly aggravated the threat of war, isolated Taiwan internationally,
damaged our economy, scared away investors and made Taiwan less secure.
I
have long advocated the immediate resumption of direct cross-strait
negotiations between Taiwan and China as the only way to truly ease
tensions and to preserve Taiwan’s democracy, freedom and rule of law.
Posturing for partisan political advantage or to piggyback on U.S.-China
confrontation is no substitute for the real work of talking and
negotiating with those who will have the most impact on our future. To
loosely quote the late Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin, you negotiate peace
with your enemies, not with your friends. We need to ensure that in the
future Taiwan and China will not behave as enemies, as they see each
other under the present leadership. My extensive business dealings and
personal experience with China — both its leadership and its people —
tell me that they need not be.
The people of Taiwan need
peace and stability to ensure a bright future, unclouded by uncertainty.
Peace is not an abstraction for me. I am part of the generation that
fought to defend Taiwan: I served 50 years ago on Kinmen, which was
bombarded by China in 1958, with hostilities persisting for two decades.
We, the people of Taiwan, must ensure that such events are never
repeated. Unfortunately, reckless rhetoric and provocative policies are
making a recurrence more likely, not less.
Taiwan has become a
world leader in technology and economic development. It has done so in
no small part by leveraging the entrepreneurial talents of its people
and businesses with Chinese partners. In direct talks with the Chinese,
it can show the world that it also can be a responsible global political
actor by defending its integrity and values in pragmatic negotiations
on vital issues and defusing tensions.
Taiwan’s people greatly
appreciate the material and moral support the United States has provided
over the past seven decades. Taiwan’s democracy, its economic dynamism
and its strong defense owe much to the American people. That support is
still important. But there comes a time when a people has to assume
principal responsibility for itself, not accept a tutelage that becomes
an unhealthy dependency. Taiwan has to take control of its destiny,
strengthen deterrence capability and, at the same time, deliver an
approach to peace that benefits the region and the globe, but most of
all itself.
It can do so only by working with China directly on the basis of the One China framework.
That
will necessitate direct, face-to-face talks by senior leaders of both
governments. There is room in such a framework for Taiwan to fully
protect its democracy, freedom and way of life even as we undertake what
is sure to be a long and arduous process of discussion and negotiation.
But in the meantime, it is absolutely vital that China and Taiwan agree
on a framework and a process that can pull us back from the precipice.