China's envoy takes Taiwan in his stride By Cindy Sui
TAIPEI - China's envoy Chen Yunlin left Taiwan on Friday, wrapping up a
tumultuous visit marred by violent protests. It was Chen's first visit to
Taiwan - and with it he became the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit
Taiwan since 1949.
Aside from departing with signed agreements, Chen may also return to the
mainland with a more realistic understanding of China's uphill battle to win
the hearts of Taiwanese people.
During his five-day visit, Chen went out of his way to try to leave a good
impression. He kissed a little girl on the cheek, sampled the popular local
dish beef noodle soup, and offered to buy large amounts of oranges from
Taiwanese farmers suffering through a
price drop. He even took in the popular box office romance Cape No 7 and
at one point he told reporters, "I love Taiwan."
Chen may have done much more - if weren't for the thousands of protesters who
dogged his every step. Almost as soon as he stepped foot on the island, which
Beijing has long claimed as a renegade province, Chen was the target of often
intense demonstrations.
He was trapped inside a hotel after he attended a banquet given by Wu
Po-hsiung, chairman of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party. Hundreds of
protesters outside - ready to throw eggs or water bottles, or spit at him and
smash his car - kept Chen under siege for six hours before he could safely
leave.
Later, protesters set off firecrackers in the middle of the night from the
hiking trails behind Chen's hotel and tried to release balloons with
unwelcoming messages - namely, that Taiwan is not a part of China. The
protesters are among many Taiwanese strongly opposed to unification with China
and deeply distrustful of Beijing's intentions.
Called a "communist bandit" and told to "get out", Chen nonetheless tried to
take it all in stride.
"We will deeply remember the Taiwanese people's understanding, care and support
for us," Chen said before leaving. He then bowed in a show of gratitude to the
police officers, including some who were injured, for keeping protesters from
preventing the landmark talks.
There's no doubt that Chen wanted to leave a strong impression on Taiwan, but
the island's raucous democracy may have left a stronger impression on him.
During his trip, he got a taste of the different sentiments towards China and
an unflinching look at how a democratic society of ethnic Chinese people works.
Riot police took defensive positions to keep protesters at bay, but allowed the
mob to vent its anger with no apparent arrests, even after police were injured.
Even during the six-hour standoff at the hotel, police did not disperse
protesters when Chen had finished dinner. They waited hours for the crowd to
thin and only when it grew instead, did they take action.
Insults against President Ma Ying-jeou, who is perceived by some to be making
too many concessions to China, were widely broadcast on TV. At rallies signs
were held up which ridiculed his name. One showed a horse, an eagle and a dog -
Chinese words which sound similar to the three characters of his name. They
also called him a traitor.
Chen came to Taiwan in his capacity as chairman of the Association for
Relations across the Taiwan Strait, China's top negotiation body with Taiwan,
to talk with his Taiwanese counterpart Chiang pin-kung, chairman of the Straits
Exchange Foundation, on the expansion of cross-strait exchanges.
The impact of the talks and the resulting agreements may prove significant. The
broadening of direct flights and shipping routes and cooperation on food safety
means not only increased trade, but increased contacts. Ultimately, this may
promote a greater understanding of Taiwan - and Taiwanese democracy.
It's safe to say that this is Ma's great hope. He called Taiwan "the beacon of
democracy" in his inaugural address in May. He said Taiwan, as the only ethnic
Chinese society to complete a second democratic turnover of power, has the
"responsibility" to make contributions to the democratic development of all
ethnic Chinese communities.
Opinion polls show most Taiwanese favor improving relations with China and
strengthening economic ties. Most are also supportive of Chen's visit. Still,
Ma and his administration will have to face a segment of the public quite
distrusting of China and their government's intentions to boost ties with
Beijing.
Some 600,000 people joined the October 25 protest against Chen's visit,
according to estimates by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Police put the figure at 180,000. Even some people who were not opposed to the
visit and who did not participate in the street demonstrations expressed
sympathy toward protesters and were quick to suspect police brutality.
Many accepted rumors that Ma had ordered national Taiwanese flags to be taken
down to avoid offending Chen. Ma met with reporters to deny the rumor, saying
he gave no such orders and repeated that facilities and locations should
maintain their normal look. He added that anyone could protest as long as they
did it legally.
The lingering distrust of the ruling KMT, known for its authoritarian rule in
previous decades, played a significant part in the protests. Images of riot
police armed with batons, shields and water canons dispersing protesters this
week reminded some of the days the KMT ruled the island under martial law and
of the clashes between pro-democracy demonstrators and police.
Taiwan's media fanned ill-feelings of the KMT. Pro-DPP stations even ran large
messages calling for people to join the DPP-organized rally on Thursday when Ma
met with Chen.
The divisions between those who favor closer links with China and those who see
China as a threat often fall along immigration lines. Many offspring of
immigrants who went to Taiwan centuries ago are suspicious of China and opposed
to Ma's policies. Some do not even consider the president Taiwanese. Ma was
born in Hong Kong in 1950, when his parents fled to Taiwan after the civil war
in 1949.
Other opponents see the newly inked economic pacts as benefiting mainly rich
Taiwanese business people who have investments in China or who trade with it.
Some question whether Ma's policy of permitting more Chinese tourists will help
small businesses, as tour agencies generally take tourists to designated hotels
and souvenir shops.
"Direct flights are good, but if they allow Chinese workers to come here, and
too many Chinese goods here, then it will definitely take jobs away from us and
our local products will not be able to survive," said Taipei native Shu
Chih-sung.
Ma has argued that more convenient transportation links will encourage the
estimated 1 million Taiwanese investors and their families living in China to
move back to Taiwan. Direct flights will now allow them to fly from Taipei to
Shanghai in the morning and make it home for dinner.
A majority of Taiwanese are more practical. Surveys show most citizens do not
favor unification with China, nor independence, but instead maintaining the
status quo and building stronger cross-strait economic ties.
"Unification, I can't see it happening in my lifetime," said Taipei cab driver
Hsu Wen-shan who is in his early 40s. Still, Hsu also said he can' t see Taiwan
becoming independent because China won't allow it.
"But cross-strait ties should have been improved a long time ago. It's only
good for Taiwan. We can do business only with other countries and ignore China,
but isn't having one more country to trade with better?" Hsu said. "It makes
sense to make money where there's money to be made."
The development of cross-strait relations depends on the leadership of both
sides. Ma has made it a priority of his administration and Chinese President Hu
Jintao, apparently, also places great importance on Taiwan.
"The negotiations were mutually beneficial to create a win-win situation for
both sides, which will benefit Taiwan," Ma told a press conference during
Chen's visit. "The deals will have a significant impact on Taiwan's future
development ... I did not concede an inch of Taiwan's sovereignty so as
president I have not made any mistakes."
In a statement after his brief meeting with Chen, Ma did not shy away from
sensitive topics.
"What cannot be denied is that between the two sides some differences and
challenges still exist, especially on the issues of Taiwan's security and
international space," said Ma, adding that he told Chen the two sides should
not "deny" each other's existence.
It could be some time before the two sides feel it appropriate to discuss
sovereignty issues, but for now there are plenty of economic and practical
matters to attend to.
Cindy Sui is a freelance journalist based in Taipei.
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