Taiwan leader renews call for resumption of talks with China

Asian Economic News, Feb 7, 2005

TAIPEI, Feb. 2 Kyodo

President Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday renewed his call for the resumption of cross-strait talks to ease tensions as Taiwan and China mourned the death of Koo Chen-fu, who was Taiwan's top negotiator with China before he died last month at 87.

Chen suggested that China and Taiwan tolerate differences in opinion, pursue areas of mutual interest, and promote ''reconciliation, dialogue and negotiation'' so as to ''boost mutual trust.''

''This is not only the legacy of the icebreaking Koo-Wang (Daohan) meetings, but also an asset and inspiration that Mr. Koo has left for us,'' Chen said. Wang was Koo's Beijing counterpart.

Describing the cross-strait stalemate as ''a drama that will someday end with the curtain dropping,'' Chen also called on the leaders of both sides to seize the opportunity to ''develop new creativity and ways of thinking'' to face the future together.

Wednesday's memorial service was attended by a number of heavyweight political and business figures from home and abroad, except the Chinese delegation.

Sun Yafu, vice president of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and concurrently assistant director of the governing State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, arrived in Taipei on Tuesday along with the association's Secretary General Li Yafei.

They are here as representatives of Wang, chairman of the association. Wang was too weak to make the trip.

Beijing has downplayed the visit, stressing that it is personal and does not involve any political contact with the self-ruled island, which China considers to be an inseparable part of its territory that should be reunited by force, if necessary.

The two deputies, the highest-level Chinese officials to visit Taiwan in six years, called on Koo's family upon arrival but turned down the offer to take part in the memorial service in which Chen is scheduled to deliver a speech.

Koo had served since 1991 as chairman of Taiwan's quasi-official Strait Exchange Foundation, which has spearheaded the delicate task of direct and unofficial talks with China.

In 1993, Koo and Wang shelved politically controversial issues and held a meeting in Singapore, marking an unprecedented breakthrough in cross-strait relations.

The Singapore meeting led to several rounds of negotiations, including the Shanghai meeting in October 1998, at which time Koo met with then Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

However, bilateral dialogue was suspended in mid-1999, when then Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui enraged China by defining cross-strait ties as a ''special state-to-state'' relationship.

Koo, a Japan-educated business tycoon who established the Koo business group, died of cancer on Jan. 3. Although Koo was one of Taiwan's most influential political figures, he never held public office. He was relied upon heavily by the previous Nationalist government for cross-strait affairs.

Koo was well-versed in Chinese literature, particularly in Chinese opera. He often expressed his views by drawing a parallel between some well-known plots of plays and the cross-strait relations.