Goodwill gesture but principle unshakeable

        The Chinese mainland's goodwill gesture to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) does not signal any change in its principle for developing cross-Straits relations, leading mainland Taiwan affairs experts said Friday.

        They stressed the new overture is more a demonstration of goodwill than a drastic change in the mainland's policy towards the pro-independence DPP.

        Vice-Premier Qian Qichen said on Thursday that only a small number of DPP members were separatists and issued an invitation to the rest to visit the mainland in an "appropriate status."

        "We believe there is a distinction between the vast majority of DPP members and a very small number of stubborn Taiwan independence activists," Qian said at a seminar to commemorate the seventh anniversary of a keynote speech on Taiwan policy made by President Jiang Zemin in January 1995.

        Professor Fan Xizhou, director of the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, said this was the first time the mainland had made a public invitation to DPP members.

        But it did not mean the mainland has fully recognized the status of the DPP and will enter any formal contact with the party which still enshrines Taiwan independence in its party platform.

        "By stressing that the visits by DPP members should be made with appropriate status, the mainland has actually banned party-to-party contacts," Fan said.

        The Communist Party of China (CPC) has opened party-to-party talks with Taiwan's major pro-reunification opposition parties, including the Kuomintang Party, the People First Party and the New Party.

        Fan suggested the acceptance of the one-China principle and 1992 consensus and the DPP's abandonment of its pro-independence platform are still crucial to the establishment of formal contact between the CPC and DPP, if it comes at all.

        In fact, many DPP members had already visited the mainland in other capacities before Qian's public invitation, according to the professor.

        Wu Nengyuan, director of the Institute of Modern Taiwan Studies under Fujian Academy of Social Sciences, said it seems that the mainland has taken a more pragmatic and reasonable approach to further improve bilateral ties.

        He said the mainland has made a pragmatic evaluation about the DPP and noticed that most DPP members have never visited the mainland.

        "After all, the DPP has become Taiwan's ruling party and enjoys a certain level of support from Taiwan people," Wu said.

        "So the mainland has come to realize that lack of understanding about the mainland among the vast majority of DPP members will not have a positive impact on the development of cross-Straits ties."

        But Beijing-based non-communist party members Friday warned that the mainland is on the alert for any attempt to move the island towards statehood.

        "Some pro-independence forces promote `gradual Taiwan independence,' which is aimed at separating the Taiwanese culture from the Chinese culture in the ideology, culture and education fields, leading the island to a turbulent situation and economic decline," said Zhou Tienong, deputy chairman of the Central Committee of Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang.

        Mei Xiangming, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of China Association for Promoting Democracy, said most Taiwan people want relations to be stable and developing. They especially want warmer economic and trade relations.

        He said the mainland has been actively and sincerely striving for peaceful reunification.

        The mainland has repeatedly said negotiations can be re-opened at any time under the pre-condition of the one-China principle.

        The National People's Congress and its Standing Committee, the State Council, and local governments have worked out a sequence of laws and regulations to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots.

        Representatives from business circles also suggested Friday that the mainland continues to boost economic ties with Taiwan despite the 30-month freeze on re-unification talks.

        "The mainland has shown its flexibility in dealing with the specific matters, such as promoting direct trade, communication and transportation links across the Straits and signing aviation agreements between Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan," said Xie Boyang, vice-chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

        He said Taiwan will have a big opportunity to develop now that the two sides have entered the World Trade Organization.

        "We still maintain our policy of encouraging Taiwan investment on the mainland and welcome more Taiwan compatriots to come and take up the opportunities in the world's largest market," said Xie.



ANNOTATION：

signal: v. 用信号通知
overture: n. 提议，议案
separatist: n. 分裂主义分子
commemorate: v. 纪念，举行庆，祝仪式
enshrine: v. 铭记，奉祀于庙堂
pro-reunifivation: n. 统一前
capacities: n. 资格
pragmatic: adj. 实用主义的
alert: n. 警惕
ideology: n. 意识形态
pre-condition: n. 前提
safeguard: v. 保护，维护
flexibility: n. 灵活性
aviation: n. 航空，飞机制造业
compatriot: n. 同胞