The two-day 13th Cross-Strait Symposium closed in Dalian on August 4. Just as Xu Shiquan, executive vice-president of All-China Taiwan Research Institute, said in his closing speech, despite the different views and ideas expressed by over 120 scholars from across the Taiwan Straits, from Hong Kong and Macao as well as from overseas on some specific questions, they are identical in attaching importance to the fundamental interests of people on both sides of the Straits and in their desires for jointly creating a better future for the two sides.

The symposium looked deep into the situation of cross-Strait relations and future development trends, they expressed many incisive views on opposing "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, developing cross-Strait relations and promoting the common development of the two sides, and offered a lot of valuable opinions.

Reunification represents greatest political interests of Taiwan people

Many participating experts and scholars pointed out that after Lee Teng-hui's 12-year rule and Chen Shui-bian's four-year administration over Taiwan and their respective "two-states theory" and "one country on each side" they mouthed in the process, Taiwan authorities have defined the cross-Strait relations as "two states" and described this as the mainstream popular will on the Island. Emeritus Prof. Liu Jinqing with Tokyo Economics University mentioned that Taiwan authorities railroaded a movement of "Taiwan ideology" and "desinicization" and, with a strong hostility, incited the consciousness of separating Taiwan from the motherland. They clamor that love of China means "betraying Taiwan", but "love for Japan and America" is contrarily encouraged. To curry favor with Japan they openly declare that "Diaoyu Island is Japan's territory", saying such a declaration is not counted as "selling Taiwan". Some people even brazenly favored "merging Taiwan into US territory as the 51st state", claiming "Taiwan's sovereignty resides in the United States", willingly putting themselves under other's thumb, thus thoroughly laying bare their servility.

Prof. Wang Hsiao-po with the philosophy department of Taiwan University, after reviewing in his expertise the history of Taiwan people's resistance to Japan's colonial rule, stated that historically Taiwan people shared weal and woe with all other Chinese people, they endured colonial rule for 50 years, the Chinese mainland also suffered a century-long imperialist aggression and ravage. He suggested that it is necessary to explain it clear to Taiwan people that peace on both sides of the Straits is the greatest security guarantee for Taiwan people, that slaughtering one another among compatriots is a tragedy on earth, which would result in no security for Taiwan for good; he added that trade between the two sides is the greatest economic benefits for Taiwan people, Taiwan's annual trade surplus with the mainland exceeds US$30 billion; cross-Strait cultural exchange is the greatest cultural benefits for Taiwan people, if the source of the mainland were lost, Taiwan could only be an exhibition site for foreign cultures; reunification of the two sides is the greatest political interests for Taiwan people, no ruler in Taiwan is entitled to deprive the Taiwan people and their descendants of their right to be identified as Chinese, China's territory and sovereignty belong to all the Chinese people on both sides of the Straits.

At the symposium Prof. Huang Jiashu of Renmin University of China analyzed the "May 17" Statement on cross-Strait relations released with authorization by the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. He said that the seven prospects set forth in the Statement show the earnestness of the mainland's conciliatory proposal, its pursuit of peaceful reunification and its utmost effort to ensure that "Chinese do not fight against Chinese".

Cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges developing

It is gratifying to see that although cross-Strait political relationship has been in a stalemated, tense and antagonistic state in recent years, cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges have not come to a standstill and instead are still developing as confirmed by several scholars present at the symposium. Realization of "three direct links" of mail, trade and transport between the two sides of the Straits has increasingly become the general consensus reached among industrialists and businessmen on the Island, as well as the pressing need for the further growth of Taiwan's economy and for the development of cross-Straits economic and trade ties.

Pan Xinyang with the Central Research Office of Taiwan Democratic Self-government League stated in his expertise that cross-Straits economic and trade exchange has created a "win, win" situation for the two sides of the Straits, according to statistics released by a Taiwan economic department, in May this year the amount of Taiwan's investment in the mainland exceeded US$1 billion, a substantial increase over the same period last year, and in the first five months of this year, Taiwan's investment in the mainland topped US$2.7 billion. Researcher Zhang Guanhua with the Taiwan Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences mentioned that in the middle and late period of the 1980s, Taiwan's economy was in the restructuring process, the development of cross-Straits economic and trade ties played an important promotional role in boosting Taiwan's economic restructuring and upgrading. In 2000-2003, of the average annual 2.6 percent economic growth of Taiwan's economy, 2.5 percent came from the contribution of external trade surplus, and that was completely from trade with the Chinese mainland.

Researcher Wang Jianmin with the Taiwan Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences mentioned in his expertise the asymmetry, unbalance and unfairness in the development of cross-Straits relations. He maintains that the Chinese mainland adopts a policy of encouragement of the import of Taiwan products without special restriction, while Taiwan takes a consistent policy of strict restriction on mainland products and its opening pace is very slow; Currently, there are only Taiwan investment and business activities on the mainland, while mainland enterprises are so far unable to go to invest in Taiwan; there exists asymmetry in cross-Straits finance, tourism and other service trades, the mainland had long ago allowed Taiwan public to tour and visit their relatives on the mainland, whereas Taiwan to this date does not allow mainland residents to go to Taiwan for sightseeing and tourism; the mainland encourages the contacts of economic and trading, managerial and professional personnel, whereas Taiwan imposes strict restriction on mainlanders to visit Taiwan, adopting a discriminatory policy toward mainland laborers. He holds that all these would become obstacles to the sound development of cross-Strait economic relations and would cause misunderstandings between the two sides.

Cross-strait problems should be settled by Chinese themselves

The United States has always been an important external factor in the Taiwan issue. The total amount of US arms sales carried out under the pretext of "supporting the peaceful solution of the Taiwan issue" has hit 61O.8 billion New Taiwan Currency, as a result, Taiwan authorities cannot but raise funds through selling shares and land and issuing public bonds and have thus aroused resentment among the Taiwan public.

Taiwan scholar Chi Hsin said in his expertise the "May 17" Statement announced that as long as Taiwan authorities acknowledge one China and discard their "Taiwan independence" stance, a bright prospect will emerge for the peaceful and stable development of cross-Straits relations and a mutually beneficial "win, win" result; otherwise, peace and stability between the two sides will be ruined. This clearly shows that the Chinese mainland will never hand the initiative of opposing "independence" and promoting reunification over to others, still less will it change its policy of "pinning hopes on the Taiwan people".

Wu Nengyuan, director of the Modern Taiwan Research Institute under Fujian Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said at the symposium that although Taiwan's support of reunification is weakening and the number of people supporting "Taiwan independence" is rising, no structural change has occurred in the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, most Taiwan people are still desiring for peace, stability and development, A poll published by Taiwan this June shows that most Taiwan people believe that "Taiwan independence" would trigger war. Public opinion in Taiwan will constitute a certain restraint on "Taiwan independence".

Wu Nengyuan said that a small number of countries attempt to do deeper harm of China's sovereignty by taking advantage of the current cross-Strait relations, while Taiwan authorities have become more and more active in serving as a pawn for harming the interests of the Chinese nation, completely degenerating into the agents of foreign countries. While on its part the Chinese mainland believes "In the face of the Chinese people, nothing is more important and sacred than defending their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No one can compel the Chinese to make concession on principled question that bears on the future and fate of the country and nation.

The article is carried on the front page of the People's Daily (Overseas Edition), Aug. 5, 2004, and translated by People's Daily Online