China's future - goals and plans of Taiwan's government to work with the government of China

National Review, June 3, 1996 by Lee Teng-Hui

ON March 23, between 8 A.M and 4 P.M., nearly 11 million of the 14 million eligible voters in Taiwan went to the polls and chose the Republic of China's president, vice president, and 334 delegates to the Third National Assembly. The calm manner in which my fellow citizens voted that day contrasted sharply with the sense of drama created by external events leading up to the election.

This election drew worldwide attention because of its historic significance. This was the first time in history that Chinese people directly elected a national president. (From 1947 until now, the president had been selected by the National Assembly.) It was indeed a great honor to have been returned to the office in which I had served since 1988 by 54 per cent of the voters. Their unambiguous endorsement of me and my running-mate, Dr. Lien Chan, represents a strong mandate for the next four years.

Campaigning for this exercise of popular will so fundamental to the democratic process gave me an opportunity to shake the hands of voters and listen to what is in their hearts. From them, I have gained a better understanding of what the people want for the Republic of China's future. We intend to press forward with constitutional reform providing for additional checks and balances, in order to further strengthen democracy in our nation. And there is much more left to do: accelerate the privatization of the economy, boost research and development, upgrade manufacturing and services, promote education reform, improve the environment, and enhance the quality of life for our people.

The renewal of political direction resulting from the election process is considered beneficial in democratic nations. However, the military maneuvers conducted by Mainland forces in the Taiwan Straits at various points during the election campaign are reminders that such an exercise of popular will can be misunderstood by leaders who have yet to experience democracy. Peking construed the process of wooing votes and fighting for a rightful place in the world order as covert support of Taiwan independence, and reacted with a series of military exercises that heightened international concern and diminished the positive momentum of cross-Straits exchanges in recent years.

Peking's fears are groundless. Taiwan and the Chinese Mainland are two parts of a single nation, shaped by Chinese history and culture. Nevertheless, Taiwan and the Chinese Mainland have, over the past century, developed in profoundly different directions. The Republic of China has achieved an economic miracle and has transformed the political and social institutions of Taiwan into models for other developing nations around the world. The Chinese Mainland authorities have permitted only limited economic reforms, beginning in the 1980s.

The enormous gap in living standards, average education levels, and political freedom between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits is a very real factor affecting the reunification process. We are committed to being economically competitive, working to make our democracy more mature, and continuing the cultural reinvigoration necessary for an advanced nation in the twenty-first century, and we welcome corresponding progress on the Chinese Mainland. No government could conceivably ask its people to give up the benefits of the economic, political, and social progress they have achieved by hard work over many decades. It makes much more sense for all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to enjoy the brightest possible future. As the gap between the two sides narrows and mutual confidence and trust increase, the process of reunification will naturally move to the advanced stages set forth in the Guidelines for National Unification prepared by the ROC government.

As the Taiwan experience attests, the nations that achieve sustainable economic growth the fastest do so because of political and social policies that unleash the vitality of their citizens. We have worked to ensure that we shall continue moving rapidly toward advanced-nation status. Our constitution, designed for the whole of China, had to be adjusted to reflect the reality of Taiwan. Accordingly, constitutional reform has been promoted on a step-by-step basis.

So has our process of making all levels of the ROC government representative of the popular will. Our people elected the Second National Assembly on December 21, 1991, to amend the constitution, and in August 1994 that body did so, allowing direct elections for president and vice president. We still have much work to do, but by all reasonable international standards, our government from top to bottom clearly reflects the will of its citizens.

The clear message conveyed by the Taiwan voters on March 23 was that they want peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. This has been a goal toward which I have worked for years. On May 1, 1991, with the endorsement of our national representatives, I ended our state of war with the Mainland regime. We allowed our people to conduct business on the Mainland and began semi-official contacts that produced agreements to expand exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.