Central News Agency
2014-09-08 03:58 PM
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The return of Hong Kong to China in 1997 and the subsequent implementation of "one country, two systems" there has been celebrated as one of the most glorious achievements of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The historical significance of the event expands to cover the issue of Taiwan. As the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin exclaimed at that time, the practice of Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" is to be used as a "role model for the unification" of Taiwan with China. However, recent developments regarding "theelection of Hong Kong's chief executive under universal suffrage" appear to delete such a possibility. Taiwan is a truly open, democratic country that will have elected its president under universal suffrage for the sixth time in less than 18 months. If the CPC insists that the candidates for Hong Kong chief executive need to be selected by "a nominating committee," how can Taiwanese people appreciate and accept a model under which Taiwan's presidential candidates are to be named only by a few autocratic members of a communist "nominating committee"? It is absolutely possible that Beijing can forcibly impose the "one country, two systems" on Taiwan if the Chinese government chooses to use military force to invade Taiwan or exert all its economic and diplomatic power to strangle Taiwan. But as history has repeatedly shown, war is easy to start but difficult to win. If Chinadecides to attack Taiwan, the consequences might be beyond any country's control. Hong Kong's controversy over the direct electionof its chief executive should be seen as a warning signal both for the normal development of Hong Kong's democracy and also forChina's mission for unifying with Taiwan. In addressing the issue of "universal suffrage," Beijing tenaciously maintains its position that candidates need to be first screened by a communist "nominating committee." The problem is that in an undemocratic regime, anyone who expresses their opinion and criticizes the government could be immediately labeled as "unpatriotic" or even "betraying the motherland." Taiwan's government, as well as mainstream public opinion, consistently chooses to maintain the status quo when it comes to cross-Taiwan Strait relations. The most positive development in Taiwan's politics is that even the advocacy of Taiwan independence, viewed as toxic by China, is simply treated as a bit of ordinary public opinion at home. For the Chinese government, there is absolutely no grey area when it comes to territorial integrity and sovereignty. Beijing will never give up its efforts to take Taiwan. Nevertheless, Beijing needs to be totally wary that the failure of the "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong will spontaneously lead to the conclusion that it will also fail in Taiwan. The political dynamic of this is simply explosive. It seems clear that unification of China and Taiwan cannot be realized through the "one country, two systems" model. It is irrefutable that Taiwan is a democratic country with independent sovereignty. No Taiwanese people will accept the idea that Taiwanese would ever elect a Taiwan chief executive imposed upon them by Beijing. The issue of "the election of a Hong Kong chief executive under universal suffrage" could serve as a warning for Beijing in its aggressive pursuit of unifying with Taiwan. The unification of Taiwan and China is still an issue that is embedded deep in the psyche of the majority of the Chinese people. But it is crystal clear that the Hong Kong model is not feasible for Taiwan. While it may be difficult for Beijing to give up on its grand strategy of peaceful unification and one country, two systems, the integrity of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan will have to taken into account in the concept of "unification" and "one country" will have to factor in the country that is the Republic ofChina. To enable the unification of Taiwan and China, China needs to think out of the box and take the initiative to accept "a greater Chinaframework" that can guarantee the co-existence of both China and Taiwan.(Editorial Abstract, Sept. 8, 2014) (By Matthew Hsu)
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