Welcome the Era of Dialogue: Do Not Tie Ourselves Down

Welcome the Era of Dialogue:
Do Not Tie Ourselves Down
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
April 8, 2010

Former Premier Liu Chao-hsuan is about to visit the Mainland, in his capacity as Chairman of the National Cultural Association. He will participate in the Shanghai Expo Taiwan Pavilion torch lighting ceremony. Not surprisingly, the Democratic Progressive Party has expressed its opposition. Spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang held a press conference and said that Liu's status made it inappropriate for him to visit the Mainland. The DPP said it was concerned that former officials of the Ma administration might negotiate with Beijing and arrive at agreements unfavorable to Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng is coming to Taiwan to conduct city to city exchanges. Elected officials from the Green Camp have protested, expressing opposition to [Mainland] China and ECFA. The Shanghai World Expo is about to open. Taipei meanwhile, is making preparations for a floral exposition. Taipei and Shanghai are now Twin Cities casting their light upon each other. This is a development many have looked forward to. Han Zheng is the highest-level local level official ever to visit Taiwan. Naturally his visit has attracted a great deal of attention. Previous visits by Mainland officials such as Chen Yunlin and Zhang Mingqing had a shock effect. By contrast the scale of protests against Han Zheng is modest. Han Zheng's itinerary takes him only as far south as Taichung. The "port cities" OTC Companies Association of Kaoshiung City, Kaohsiung County, and Pingtung expressed regret. It hoped that Mainland China would not favor northern Taiwan over the south. Their implication was that entrepreneurs in the south were eager to take advantage of commercial opportunities on the Mainland.

The public wants exchanges. Only exchanges will increase understanding and create opportunities. But the DPP has apparently decided that the Ma administration must not be permitted to have any dealings with the Mainland. Because as long as it has dealings, it might "sell out Taiwan." Tsai Chi-chang held a press conference opposing Liu Chao-hsuan's visit to the Mainland. He said the DPP cannot understand why so many retired Ma administration officials are so eager to visit the Chinese Mainland. What is the purpose behind their visits? What good are they going to do Taiwan? Tsai Chi-chang's question is a good one. The answer however, is right under the DPP's own nose. The Chen administration froze cross-Strait exchanges for eight years. It failed to do what it should have. Many matters were delayed. Can we afford to delay any longer? Consider a high school student. He has goofed off for three years. He must now take his college entrance exams. He now realizes his fellow students are well prepared. His own grades on the other hand, have stagnated, or even plummeted. So he begins working frantically in a desperate effort to catch up, hoping it is not too late.

But let's return to our point. If the Ma administration could secretly sign a treaty and "sell out Taiwan" by dispatching a single individual to the Mainland, then why is Ma Ying-jeou bothering to debate ECFA with Tsai Ing-wen? Why is he seeking the support of the public and the DPP? President Ma could simply settle the matter with the Mainland on his own and be done with it. Many voices of dissent have been raised during ECFA negotiations. The DPP ought to have a little more faith in the Republic of China's democracy. The Ma administration lacks the wherewithal to act willfully and arbitrarily. If the DPP truly believes Liu Chao-hsuan can make an illicit deal with Beijing, giving away the store, it is over-estimating the Ma administration's ability. It is also underestimated the intelligence of the public on Taiwan.

Cross-Strait politics is a sensitive issue. But even cross-Strait economic exchanges provoke complex feelings many on Taiwan have difficulty voicing. Taiwan's economic development once led the Mainland's by a wide margin. Now however, the Mainland has caught up. Now, when the Mainland talks of "profit sharing," many on Taiwan become uncomfortable. It means Taiwan no longer has a clear advantage, changing cross-Strait economic interaction. Politically sensitive issues also affect what should be purely economic issues. Taiwan cannot realistically terminate exchanges and interaction with the Mainland due to such concerns. The DPP's deliberately recalcitrant attitude is unworkable. We must find the best way to provide the public with greater opportunities, and the best way to relate to the Mainland. The best way is through shared culture. The two sides share a common culture. But accidents of history, differences in life experiences and in political systems have led to different cultural highlights. The political and social environment on Taiwan is diverse and open. Traditional culture has been reborn, even as popular culture flourishes. Our rich cultural assets have become our most potent form of soft power in our exchanges with the Mainland.

Liu Chao-hsuan was once premier. He is highly qualified and resourceful. He has President Ma's trust. He has considerable status both Internally and externally. He is well qualified to promote certain matters. He would make an excellent cultural ambassador. Does Chen Chu realize the importance of promoting Kaohsiung as a transport center? If she does, then others surely realize that in this highly competitive era we must seize every opportunity. We must not fear that Taiwan will be "sold out." What we ought to fear is egotism and isolationism. Those are what will leave us out in the cold.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2010.04.08
迎接對話的年代 別再綁死自己
本報訊

前行政院長劉兆玄即將以「國家文化總會會長」身分訪問大陸，參加上海世博台灣館的點燈儀式。不意外的，民進黨立刻發聲反對，發言人蔡其昌召開記者會表示，劉兆玄身分敏感，不宜赴大陸。民進黨擔心的是：馬政府卸任官員與對岸進行談判，做對台灣不利的決定。

另一方面，上海市長韓正來台灣進行城市交流，也有部分綠營民意代表出面嗆聲，表達反中、反ＥＣＦＡ的訴求。上海世博即將開幕，台北則正在熱鬧準備花博，台北、上海雙城互放光亮，本是許多人的願望，而韓正是歷次大陸訪台最高層級的地方官員，他的台灣首行自然引起高度關注。不過，相較於過往大陸官員如陳雲林、張銘清來台灣受到的震撼教育，抗議韓正的規模並不算太大，甚至因為這次韓正的行程只到台中，沒有南下，高高屏上市、上櫃公司聯誼會的「港都會」還表示遺憾，希望大陸對台灣不要「重北輕南」，言下之意，對爭取大陸的關注和商機，南部企業家們充滿期待。

人民要的是交流，因為只有透過交流，人與人之間才會更了解，也才能夠創造出更發展的機會。不過，似乎民進黨還是認為馬政府不應該跟大陸有什麼來往，因為只要一有來往，就有賣台的嫌疑。在反對劉兆玄赴大陸記者會中，蔡其昌表示，民進黨無法理解，為何有這麼多馬政府的卸任官員，急著去中國大陸，背後有什麼目的、對台灣又有何好處？蔡其昌問的是個好問題，但是答案其實是在民進黨自己身上：扁政府執政八年兩岸關係冰凍，該做的沒做，很多事被耽誤了，現在能不拚嗎？這就像一個高中生混了三年，最近要考大學，發覺同學個個都有不錯的準備，自己的成績卻停滯不前，甚至一落千丈，於是發奮圖強，天天追趕進度，為的就是希望一切還來得及。

話說回來，如果馬政府派一個什麼人去大陸，就可以偷偷簽兩黨密約，把台灣給賣了，那馬英九又何必跟蔡英文針對ＥＣＦＡ舉行什麼辯論會、要積極爭取民意與民進黨的支持呢？不是馬總統跟大陸方面談好就好了嗎。從ＥＣＦＡ洽簽過程中出現了各種不同的聲音，民進黨就應該對台灣的民主政治有信心，馬政府沒有那麼大的本事可以一意孤行，隨心所欲；如果民進黨到現在還相信，劉兆玄去一趟大陸就可以跟對岸私相授受，簽訂什麼對台灣不利的條約，這是高估了馬政府的能耐，也是低估了台灣人民的智慧。

當然，在政治上，兩岸之間畢竟還是存在著一定的敏感性；而在經濟議題上，老實講，很多台灣人心中有著一種難以言說的複雜感受。因為台灣與大陸的經濟發展，從一開始台灣的大幅領先到目前大陸的迎頭趕上，使得很多台灣人聽到大陸的「讓利說」，會打從心底感覺到不舒服；因為台灣不再擁有明顯的優勢，使得兩岸經濟互動的相對位置出現變化，一些政治上的敏感議題，經濟上也漸漸難以逃避，對台灣來說，兩岸實際上又不可能因為有顧忌或者難題，而停止交流、互動，現實上，民進黨處處刻意拉高姿態的邏輯和做法也行不通，我們總要尋找適當的議題，讓台灣可以有機會用最好的態度與對岸展開交流，為自己創造更多機會，「文化」可以說是最好的切入點：兩岸既有共同的文化淵源，又因為歷史機遇、生活經驗和政治體制之不同，各自創造了不同的文化亮點，特別是台灣因為多元開放的政治與社會環境，從流行文化到傳統文化再生，豐富的文化資產早已成為我們與大陸交流時最有能量也最溫柔的一分利器。

劉兆玄以其曾經擔任行政院長的資歷與資源，加上得到馬總統的信任，對內、對外，都擁有一定的高度，也有比較好的條件真正有效地推動一些事情，是合適的文化大使人選；如果陳菊也知道到對岸推銷高雄市運很重要，相信更多人會了解在這個高度競爭的時代，台灣一定要緊緊抓住每一個可以行銷台灣的機會──不要怕台灣會被賣掉，要擔心的是如果再這樣自以為是、自我封閉，台灣恐怕有行無市。