China, Taiwan Hold Talks to Bridge Divide

With half a century of strained relations separating them, longtime rivals Taiwan and China appeared Wednesday to be edging back toward common ground--with a nudge from the United States--as the two sides held their first talks in five years.

Representatives from both sides of the strategic Taiwan Strait sought to lower expectations of any concrete results during meetings that continue today in Shanghai but played up the significance of the fact that they were talking at all.

Envoy Koo Chen-fu, head of Taiwan’s organization to build ties with the mainland, pointed out that it was important to start building mutual trust, saying, “It is better to start talking sooner rather than later.”

They’re making up for lost time. Ever since Chiang Kai-shek’s defeated Nationalists fled the mainland in 1949 to set up an alternative government in Taiwan, Taipei and Beijing have been at odds.

Both sides say they are working toward eventual reunification. For China, now that Hong Kong has returned to the motherland, pressure is mounting to bring Taiwan back into the fold. Despite the province’s autonomous and democratic government, Beijing insists that there is only one China and that Taiwan must accept that the island is part of it.

For its part, Taiwan has vowed not to return to China until the mainland becomes democratic. In the nearer term, Taiwan is increasingly interested in bolstering economic ties--its businesspeople have invested about $38 billion in the mainland--and restoring direct flights and shipping across the strait.

Hopes for reconciliation rest on the shoulders of two envoys. Wang Daohan, 84, is a former Shanghai mayor and mentor of President Jiang Zemin. Taiwan representative Koo, 81, is a silver-haired tycoon with business interests on the mainland and a love of Peking opera.

Significantly, Beijing is not treating Koo as a mere provincial official. After spending four days in Shanghai, Taiwan’s senior statesman is getting a reception worthy of a head of state in Beijing, plus an unprecedented meeting Sunday with Jiang and Vice Premier Qian Qichen.

Despite the red-carpet treatment planned in Beijing, the dialogue in Shanghai is purposely informal. Wang and Koo apparently have no agenda, which gives them freedom to explore ideas and speak more frankly than in protocol-bound parleys.

While Koo’s spokesman publicly declares that the envoy will stick to technical issues such as trade restrictions and fishing disputes, Wang’s aides insist that the meetings will dwell on reunification as well. Beijing has reportedly hinted at a “one country, three systems” arrangement that would grant Taiwan even more autonomy than Hong Kong and allow it to keep an autonomous government, its capitalist system and its own military.

“I can tell you this type of political dialogue has already started,” said Tang Shubei, Wang’s assistant.

If so, it marks a big step forward for both sides. Wang and Koo haven’t met since 1993, when they began discussions in Singapore to hammer out the technical and trade issues that reinforced the divide across the Taiwan Strait.

But China canceled follow-up discussions scheduled for 1995 to show its displeasure at Taiwan’s pursuit of international recognition. A series of disputes escalated until China lobbed practice missiles in the island’s direction in March 1996, and the U.S. sent two aircraft carriers to the Taiwan Strait to keep the peace.

Since then, Washington--which broke off official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979--has worked behind the scenes to orchestrate a rapprochement.

“I think the episode of ’96 helped clear the air like a thunderstorm,” said Joseph S. Nye Jr., who served as an assistant Defense secretary while tensions were mounting in 1995. He now heads the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. “Both sides, Washington and Beijing, decided they didn’t want to go to war over Taiwan.”

Since then, Washington’s policy of “strategic ambiguity”--balancing support for Taiwan’s democratic development against respect for China’s strategic importance--has become decidedly more clear. After Jiang’s U.S. visit last year, the State Department declared that Washington would not support Taiwan’s quest for independence, a U.N. seat or “two Chinas.” President Clinton reiterated the “three nos” during his visit to China in June.

Now Washington is pushing Beijing to add a “fourth no” to the list: no use of force against Taiwan. The move would be pragmatic--any hostilities would sacrifice China’s economic progress as well as its good relations with the U.S., Nye said. Such a vow would also be the ultimate gesture of trust that could make reunification happen.

Despite the cautious optimism of Wednesday’s meetings, however, the road to reunification is still a long and rocky one.

“I wouldn’t expect any dramatic declarations or breakthroughs this time,” Nye said. “For now, this is just a chance for Taipei and Beijing to work out parameters for more international living space for Taiwan.”