泛華國協 兩岸攜手


鄭天佐／中研院院士、王秋森／台大教授

一邊一國，兩邊都屬於泛華國協。

A Commonwealth is the Answer

                                                                                     Tien Tzou Tsong and Chiu-Sen Wang （鄭天佐， 王秋森）

There is one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait, and both belong to the "pan-Hwa commonwealth" （泛華國協）. In this article we use the words "hwa" （華）and "Chung-hwa" （中華）to represent Han Culture of the central part of historical mainland China（中原）.

Japanese scholar Kenichi Ohmae predicted in one of his books that the China will become a federation in 2005 and that Taiwan will unite with China. President Chen Shui-bian（陳水扁） quickly renounced that idea by saying that under no circumstances would the 23 million Taiwanese accept a federal system, which would be inferior in nature even to the "one country, two system" structure. Chen also emphasized that Taiwan will remain an independent, sovereign state throughout 2005 and beyond.

On March 15, former president Lee Teng-hui （李登輝）proposed at the annual meeting of the World Taiwanese Congress that a new Constitution should be forged and the nation's official designation should be changed to "Taiwan". This brought the issue once again to the forefront of debate.

Some Taiwanese believe that Taiwan will perish if it excludes itself from China. Others hold that unification with China will send the nation to its doom. A majority of people, however, favor "maintaining the status quo". But is it really possible for Taiwan to maintain the status quo amid instability and imbalance? China has been stepping up its diplomatic suppression, even to the extend of increasing the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan.

Can the government, in practice, and on a rational basis, prevent businesspeople from making the choice that best serves their interests when they are enticed by a massive market comprising of a quarter of the world's  population and also international competitions? The huge quantity of talent and capital moving to China has aggravated the nation's unemployment problem and hollowed out its industries. The notion that economics and politics can be separated is extremely unrealistic myth.

A large number of politicians over the years tried to canvass votes by manipulating the unification-independent dispute, causing social disorder and unrest and even confusing the public's political perspectives and judgements.

Opinion polls released recently showed that what worries the nation's youth the most is not their own future but the country's political future. Faced with the war of words between pro-unification and pro-independence politicians and strong pressure from business interest groups, government officials appear to lack direction, leading to policy of flip-flops.

If Taiwan intends to extricate itself from this predicament, normalizing relations with Beijing should be its top priority. All the crucial changes in international relations have been accomplished either by military conquests or through long-term negotiations between all concerned parties.

The UK transformed its former empire into a commonwealth, whereas the US turned from a confederation into a federation, each system means different things in different times. What is crucial is that there are settlements reached by long negotiation.

Developing the relations between Taiwan and China requires patient discussion and negotiation. We call on the two sides to look beyond the possible models of "one country, two systems", "unification" and "independence" and start with a new way of thinking.

We suggest that Taipei and Beijing might work toward the political system currently used in the UK. The "one China" principle is by no means unacceptable but its exact contents must be put into writing before both side can accept it.

Given the fact that most people are accustomed to, and like, the Chung-hwa culture and would like to join hands in culture construction, economic development and international affairs, the majority of people on the two sides should be able to embrace a "one China" principle that can boost cultural and economic prosperity.

A commonwealth could be established on the basis of mutual trust, comprising members beyond Taiwan and China, with Singapore, Mongolia and Tibet also be invited to participate. The new Chinese leaders of this huge country would be expected to emulate the politicians of the former British Empire and to accept the commonwealth system with broad-mindedness. The system would tally not only with the interests of people on all sides but also with the international trend.

A commonwealth is founded on laws or a constitution, with permanent organizations and a symbol of solidarity acceptable to its members. Britain's monarch, for example, is the figurehead for the Commonwealth.

If a "pan-Hwa commonwealth" were to take shape, we could choose a historical symbol or figure recognized by all parties as a symbol of solidarity for commemorative purposes on a regular basis, such as the ancient sages of China - the Yellow Emperor, Yao（堯）, Shun（舜） or Yu（禹）.

What is most important is that each country inside the commonwealth enjoys full independence, sovereignty and autonomy in political, economic, diplomatic and military affairs, as well as hold their own UN seats. But they would be expected to coordinate with one another to safeguard their shared interests and cooperate in international affairs.

This system could satisfy both Taiwanese and Chinese people's wish to "be their own bosses" and at the same time preserve the historical consciousness that many people cannot give up. (Translated by Jackie Lin and appeared in the editorial section of Taipei Times on April 2, 03)