Taiwan and China cousins: Premier

This article was written by Cecilia Fanchiang and published by the Taiwan Journal on October 7, 2005. It features an article published by the Asian Wall Street Journal on September 29, which was written by Frank Hsieh, Premier of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

In his article, the premier argues that the relationship between Taiwan and China is one between cousins. However, China's military expansion and its refusal to renounce the use of military power against Taiwan is a matter of world concern and a challenge to regional peace and stability.

According to a recent US Defense Department report on China's military modernization, Taiwanese cities are being targeted by more than 700 Chinese missiles. Therefore, "maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is crucial for the security of East Asia, where the continuation of peace and prosperity is determined by China's next move", the premier argues.

The premier concludes his article by pointing out that Taiwan is the world's first and only democracy in a Chinese society. Taiwan hopes that it can work with the international democratic community and help China adopt democracy. "As two of the world's ethnic Chinese societies, China and Taiwan are not natural enemies, but cousins sharing deep historical and cultural ties. We, therefore, have an obligation to assist and push China to rise in a positive manner, one that protects and promotes the human rights of all Chinese people," the premier writes.