The Wisdom of Asia №10

Part Ⅰ：How to Deal with China and America

Chapter Two
What a "State-to-State Relationship" Seeks

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Lee Teng-hui （李登輝）

3. Taiwan is Now a "New Republic"

　　　Throughout the process of gradually satisfying all the conditions required by a state, Taiwan still has lacked one thing. This country has not yet clearly stated, either at home or toward foreign countries, that Taiwan is "a state." We have referred to "the Republic of China in Taiwan," but have never claimed that Taiwan is a "sovereign state." I thought we must rerxamine this question.　 　　　　      The Republic of China has long existed. The People's Republic of　China (communist China) has existed as the regime that occupied the　continent after winning the civil war in 1949. In 1991 I made a clear shift in my understanding and decided to recognize the government on the continent, the government that now effectively occupies, controls, and rules China. The  war between the two shores should come to an end. I then began advocating that both sides should engage in more dialogue, specifically between the Republic of China and communist China. In this connection, the Republic of China and communist China are entirely different countries. The explanation there to maintained in the form of "one country and two governments" was no longer valid, unless we revise the phrase to read "one China, two countries." To do that we must go one step further and officially recognize the People's Republic of China.
　　　Recognition of communist China means that it is "the new country" and we are "the old country." The country has changed. The current Republic of China is no longer the old Republic. It is now a "New Republic," one whose internal system has undergone a total transformation.
　　　That is the reason we abolished the Taiwan Province as of 1998. The content of the Constitution has also changed considerably. Article 4 of the Constitution, which stipulates the territory, reminds unchanged. But Article 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of China is very interesting. It stipulates that "the territory of the Republic of China defines the traditional domain as its territory."
　　　This article, therefore, can be used under any and all circumstances. The areas which Taiwan effectively controls are‥ Taiwan, the Pescadores (膨湖諸島) , Quemoy (金門) and Matsu (馬祖) Island, all part of the Republic of China's territory. It is not necessary to create a condition through a constitutional revision in order to claim to be a state.
　　　But such an argument might incite America and Communist China. One cannot predict their reactions. It is better for me clearly to recognize the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a state and also to assert that we are a state. This was my explanation of my response to the question posed by the German Public Broadcasting Company.
　　　The PRC went out of the Republic of China (POC) in 1949. The ROC has existed continuously prior to and since 1949. What exists on the continent is a separate, new state. I am convinced that this line is the most appropriate for Taiwan and has a factual basis. All other arguments will be extremely difficult. For instance, it will be odd to shout fo "self-determination" in　as　much as Taiwan is not a colony of another country. There is no need to declare "self-determination." The term "independence" also is not apt.
　　　In so far as the statement of "a special state-to-state relationship" is concerned, it is not something I declared out of the blue but rather a consensus reached by many scholars after years of research, the only method.
　　　　The fact is Taiwan has moved in this direction step by step. In this recess of change, the question of Taiwan's identity has advanced to the concept of "Taiwan Republic of China." The ROC is no longer the old ROC. It is a New Republic that is, "a Second Republic." I do not know when and who will clearly state it, but it has to be done.
　　　　The democratization of Taiwan is a very difficult one-painful complicated and misunderstood by many people,even though many scholars have reached similar views on it. For example, studies such as Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui (『蒋経国と李登輝』) (Iwanami shoten,1997) by Prof. Wakabayashi Masahiro (若林正丈) , The University of Tokyo  have clearly exhibited this thought. The article I published in the journal,　Foreign Affairs, though the newest one, also states this view. It is critically important to consolidate this view for the future democratization of Taiwan.
　　　　What I worry about greatly now is whether my successor, Chen Shui-bian, will advance this work steadfastly. I trust, however, he will carry out this work, though encountering some ups and downs.

"The Wisdom of Asia" Translated by Alexander K. Young 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Akita International Univwrsity Press

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