President defends move on NUC in interview with foreign media

This article was written by Shih Ying-ying and published by the Taiwan Journal on March 17, 2006. According to this article, in an interview with the Washington Post, president Chen Shui-bian restated his position that his recent move to cease operation of the National Unification Council (UNC) does not constitute a change to the cross-strait status quo. According to Chen, the main reason for him to cease the UNC's operation is to return to the people of Taiwan the right to decide their own future.

According to Chen, his decision to render the National Unification Council and the National Unification Guidelines impotent does not contradict against the "four noes plus one" pledge he made in his 2000 inaugural address. This is because the National Unification Council will only cease to function, and the National Unification Guidelines will only cease to apply. In other words, they are not abolished.

According to Chen, his administration is determined to maintain stability and peace in the Taiwan Strait. His "four noes plus one" pledge in 2000 was made under the precondition that China had no intention of using military force against Taiwan. However, now, the status quo of relative peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait have been damaged over the past six years due to China's military expansion and its passage of the so-called "anti-secession law". From Chen's view, the top priority of his administration is to safeguard the interests of all the people in Taiwan.

Regarding the concerns expressed by the United States over the existence of the National Unification Council and the National Unification Guidelines, Chen stressed that he recognized the importance of communication and dialogue. He also urged the international community to incorporate China into the international order so that China can learn to accept the universal values of democracy, freedom, human rights and peace. Finally, the president expressed his hope that Taiwan and China can again enter into talks. "Cross-strait differences and disputes can be resolved peacefully only through dialogue," he said.

Meanwhile, at present, more than 80 percent of the people in Taiwan are pushing for, and indeed expect, Taiwan to eventually be admitted to the World Health Organization and the United Nations. "No one can deprive Taiwan's 23 million people of their basic rights and free will to participate in international society," Chen said.

Chen emphasized that Taiwan is a democratic nation and a pluralistic society, and that the people of Taiwan do not exclude any possible form of development in cross-strait relations. "We should not exclude independence as one of the options, nor should we exclude unification as a possible choice," he said.