Taipei - Ma Ying-jeou was sworn in Tuesday to a four-year
term as Taiwan's president and immediately called for peace with
China.
'I sincerely hope the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can seize
this historic opportunity to achieve peace and co-prosperity,' Ma,
57, said at the ceremony at the 15,000-seat Taipei Arena.
Dismissing China's fears that he might seek independence, Ma
pledged he would neither seek independence nor discuss unification
with Beijing during his term.
'Under the principle of no unification, no independence and no use
of force and under the framework of the Republic of China's
constitution, the two sides will maintain the status quo in the
Taiwan Strait,' Ma said, referring to Taiwan by its formal name.
The politician from the pro-China Chinese Nationalist Party, or
Kuomintang (KMT), made an important compromise with China by agreeing
to accept a consensus reached between Taipei and Beijing in Hong Kong
in 1992 that both sides accept the 'one China' principle, which has
been insisted upon by Beijing for cross-strait negotiations, but each
can have its own interpretation of what 'one China' means.
For Taiwan, that China means the Republic of China, the political
regime that once ruled the mainland but fled to Taiwan after the
defeat of the Nationalist government in the 1949 Chinese Civil War.
And for Beijing, it means the People's Republic of China.
'I want to reiterate that, based on the 1992 consensus,
negotiations should resume at the earliest time,' he said, referring
to a dialogue that Beijing and Taipei launched in 1993 but China
halted in 1995 to retaliate against former president Lee Tengh-hui's
advocacy of Taiwan's independence.
However, Ma also reminded China that Taiwan is a sovereign state
and needs to preserve its dignity and national security. 'Only when
Taiwan is no longer isolated in the international arena can
cross-strait ties move forward,' he said.
To protect Taiwan's security, Taiwan would boost ties with its
strongest ally, the United States, and other foreign countries, he
said.
'We will rationalize our defence budget and acquire necessary
defensive weaponry,' Ma said. '... At the same time, we are committed
to cross-strait peace and regional stability.'
Ma won a landslide victory in March 22 presidential polls,
bringing the KMT back to power. It ruled Taiwan from 1949 to 2000
when it lost power to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP).
Ma replaced president Chen Shui-bian of the DPP, who stepped down
Tuesday after having served two four-year terms, the longest tenure
allowed a Taiwan president.
In the past eight years, Taiwan-China ties have deteriorated as
Chen advocated Taiwan's independence and sought its membership in the
United Nations.
China did not comment on Ma's inauguration because Beijing sees
Taiwan as an illegitimate government and refuses to accept Ma's title
as Taiwan president, but it has welcomed Ma's pledge to promote peace
with China.
In April, Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Taiwan's incoming
vice president, Vincent Siew, on the sidelines of the Boao Forum, a
regional economic gathering on China's Hainan Island.
Hu expressed the hope that China and Taiwan would 'face reality,
build mutual trust, shelve differences and find a win-win solution.'
Hu has invited Wu Poh-hisung, chairman of the KMT, to visit the
mainland next week for a summit expected to discuss cooperation
between Beijing and the new Taiwan government led by Ma.
China regards Taiwan as its breakaway province and is wooing
Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies to drop Taipei and recognize Beijing.
China has been urging Taiwan to hold unification talks with China,
but Taipei said it would not discuss unification unless China has
introduced democracy and treats Taiwan as an equal government.
More than 500 foreign dignitaries attended Ma's inauguration. They
included one king, eight presidents, three prime ministers and two
governor generals as well as delegations from the United States and
Japan, which do not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
The foreign guests came from the countries that recognize Taiwan
and those that do not recognize Taiwan but maintain trade ties with
Taipei.
In the afternoon, the foreign guests rode a high-speed train from
Taipei to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan for Ma's inauguration banquet
and an evening boat ride on the Love River.
Love it!May 20th, 2008 - 07:32:25
I freaking love the comment!!! :)
Report this comment