WIKILEAKS: China using ECFA to push unification with Taiwan.

[CardSharp]

I guess this is a bit of an open secret.

Following repeated pledges by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英&#20061 that there would be no political ramifications to the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China, US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show that Beijing intends to use deepening economic relations with Taiwan as a means to start political negotiations.

In a cable dated Jan. 6 last year from the US embassy in Beijing, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Vice Secretary-General Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉&#20809, who had just concluded the fourth round of ECFA talks with the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taichung, said during a meeting with the US acting deputy chief of mission, Robert Goldberg, on Dec. 29, 2009, that deepening economic relations would “inevitably lead to more complicated political issues.”

Ma Xiaoguang said Beijing would like to start political negotiations with the Ma Ying-jeou administration “at an early stage,” but that it would not promote talks against his will, as he had been “forced” to push less actively for political talks with Beijing since his inauguration.

“Beijing wants to engage Taiwan in political discussions, but will respect President Ma’s unwillingness to do so at the current time. Nonetheless, deepening economic discussions will ‘inevitably’ lead to political exchanges,” the cable quoted him as saying.

The comments by the ARATS official confirmed Beijing’s attempt to engage in political dialogue with the Ma administration as the Democratic Progressive Party has warned.

The president and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have brushed aside such concerns, stressing the economic pact signed with Beijing last year and cross-strait talks focused on economic exchanges, saying the president would not start a political dialogue with Beijing during his first term in office.
In the cable, Ma Xiaoguang said China “realized” that “even the rapid growth of economic ties will not lead to unification naturally,” but added that China would work to strengthen the basis for political negotiations under the so-called “1992 consensus.”

He also criticized Ma Ying-jeou for not doing a good job of “handling the economy” and attributed opposition to the ECFA in Taiwan to the president’s “inability” to handle economic issues.
In another cable dated June 1, 2007, Ma Ying-jeou, who was then the KMT presidential nominee, discussed the party’s stance on unification with then-American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director Stephen Young. He said the KMT’s move to revise its charter did not mean it intended to abandon its goal of unification.

In the meeting with Young, Ma Ying-jeou, accompanied by his top adviser, then-KMT legislator Su Chi (蘇&#36215, said on May 31, 2007, that changes to the KMT charter to emphasize “Taiwan-centered values” would not alter the party’s original goal of “national unification.”
The revision is aimed at broadening the appeal of the KMT to those who identify themselves as Taiwanese, he said.
Discussing his experience in handling cross-strait affairs with Beijing, Ma Ying-jeou described the Chinese government as one of “arrogance” and “inflexibility,” telling Young that he did not expect special treatment from Beijing if he was elected president.

WIKILEAKS: China using ECFA to push unification - Taipei Times

 

[unicorn]

Political negotiations will only work if their are support from the people.
Does the people of Taiwan will support unification with China?

 

[CardSharp]

Political negotiations will only work if their are support from the people.
Does the people of Taiwan will support unification with China?

Opinion varies.

 

[unicorn]

Are Majority of them against it?

 

[SyrianChristianPatriot]

If Taiwan Declares Independence then China said it will a D-Day Invasion to reclaim their Island.

 

[CardSharp]

A bit of history. Taiwan was ceded to Japan after Japan defeated China in first Sino-Japanese war. It was a colony of Japan for about 50 years, then it ceded back to The republic of China after WWII. Then when the Republic of China lost to the communists, they fled to Taiwan and took over control from the local colonial government that was working for the Japanese.

The two main parties of Taiwan today have their roots in the two groups. The KMT are the defeated Republic of China government and the DPP were the Japan colonial government. The KMT is generally seem as pro-unification while the DPP are pro-independence.

The KMT is the ruling party right now.

If Taiwan Declares Independence then China said it will a D-Day Invasion to reclaim their Island.

The Chinese civil war is still going on and the PRC has said that it will invade Taiwan if the government there declares independence.

 

[SyrianChristianPatriot]

A bit of history. Taiwan was ceded to Japan after Japan defeated China in first Sino-Japanese war. It was a colony of Japan for about 50 years, then it ceded back to The republic of China after WWII. Then when the Republic of China lost to the communists, they fled to Taiwan and took over control from the local colonial government that was working for the Japanese.

The two main parties of Taiwan today have their roots in the two groups. The KMT are the defeated Republic of China government and the DPP were the Japan colonial government. The KMT is generally seem as pro-unification while the DPP are pro-independence.

The KMT is the ruling party right now.



The Chinese civil war is still going on and the PRC has said that it will invade Taiwan if the government there declares
independence.

Indeed in the video is an interview with Sha Zu Kang, Chinese Ambassador to United Nations, he said china will use force to reclaim Taiwan if they do it.

 

[unicorn]

If unification does not work from political efforts will China go for military option in the future because militarily Taiwan is completely offensive towards China.

 

[CardSharp]

If unification does not work from political efforts will China go for military option in the future because militarily Taiwan is completely offensive towards China.

I don't think anyone who considers themselves Chinese want blood to be spilt on either side. Me personally, I'd rather have Taiwan go its own way if the only alternative is war and blood shed.

Though I am optimistic on reunification on the 1 country 2 systems approach just like Hong Kong's reunification.

 

[siegecrossbow]

This is the sort of thing that you can guess without relying on wiki-leaks.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

This is no brainer, we are using ECFA to seek the peaceful unification with Taiwan, and this should be what everybody expected since most nations in the World admit Taiwan is a part of China.

 

[CardSharp]

I don't care what is their true thought about Taiwan, but officially they can't deny that Taiwan is a part of China.

Does Taiwan even have a seat in the UN?

Clueless Indian interjecting one liners. No need to get worked up.

Here is the list of superpowers who recognizes Taiwan as an independent country. The rest including India recognizes China as the sole government of all of China.


Belize (1989)
Burkina Faso (1994)
Dominican Republic (1957)
El Salvador (1961)
Gambia (1995)
Guatemala (1960)
Haiti (1956)
Honduras (1965)
Kiribati (2003)
Marshall Islands (1998)
Nauru (1980–2002, 2005)
Nicaragua (1990)
Palau (1999)
Panama (1954)
Paraguay (1957)
Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983)
Saint Lucia (1984–1997, 2007)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1981)
São Tomé and Príncipe (1997)
Solomon Islands (1983)
Swaziland (1968)
Tuvalu (1979)
Vatican City (The Holy See) (1942)

 

[below_freezing]

Indeed in the video is an interview with Sha Zu Kang, Chinese Ambassador to United Nations, he said china will use force to reclaim Taiwan if they do it.

And why not?

Did the US allow the South to break off? Why did the US use force to suppress the South which voted in a democratic election to secede? Why should any sovereign nation allow people to just "decide to break off"? Taiwan did not even vote in a democratic referendum to secede yet.

I don't want a war either, but if one is imposed on us, then we'll have no choice.

 

[ao333]

I thought that was one thing which was deadly clear.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

I don't think anyone who considers themselves Chinese want blood to be spilt on either side. Me personally, I'd rather have Taiwan go its own way if the only alternative is war and blood shed.

Though I am optimistic on reunification on the 1 country 2 systems approach just like Hong Kong's reunification.

Yes, in a decade or so, it will be clear that the only entity that can guarantee Taiwan's security, is the PRC. Plus, the two economies will be so tightly interlinked by then, that any disruption would be intolerable for the RoC.

At that point... it will be much easier to sell the "One country, two systems" framework to them.

And Chinese cultural nationalism will be on the rise within Taiwan itself as well, that might actually be the strongest factor in our favour.

I don't think anyone who considers themselves Chinese want blood to be spilt on either side. Me personally, I'd rather have Taiwan go its own way if the only alternative is war and blood shed.

I agree that there should be no bloodshed between the two sides. After all, they are our own brothers and sisters.