AUGUST 2012

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

Chair Su Tseng-chang issues Three Expectations for Chinas 18th National Congress in Wall Street Journal interview
DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang sat for an interview with journalists from the Wall Street Journal on July 31st, discussing international trends, cross strait relations and the DPPs future direction. He also expressed his viewpoints regarding the reform changes that China will face this year. Chair Su Tseng-chang raised three expectations towards Xi Jinping, the next general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Firstly, he hoped for a smooth transition of power. Secondly, he hoped that Mr. Xi will be able to lead political, economic and social reform in China. Thirdly, he hoped that Mr. Xi will further understand Taiwan, taking a more extensive and progressive approach towards improving relations between both sides. Answering questions regarding the reestablishment of the Department of China Affairs at the DPP as well as the future establishment of the China Affairs Committee, Chair Su Tseng-chang said that the departments most important task is to conduct research on China that is both comprehensive and sustainable. The purpose of establishing the China Affairs Committee, he said, is to gather important members of the party, academics and experts to hold discussions and be able to achieve consensus, and afterwards, go through the party mechanism to adopt resolutions that will become the DPP standpoints, and in which everyone will be able to identify and recognize. Chair Su emphasized that the DPP is taking a positive and active approach in dealing with China, and not making exclusions towards any interactions with China. Of course, we welcome Chinese people to come and visit us, he said. At the moment, China only has contact with the KMT, and their understanding of Taiwan is only one-sided. Since the DPP represents a part of Taiwans mainstream public opinion, in order for China to understand Taiwan fully, they must be in contact with the DPP. At the same time, the DPP must also com-

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 prehend China fully and be able to interact with them. Chair Su was the first one to issue the idea of a Taiwan Consensus in April of 2011, and the contents of the proposal included three major issues: the use of dialogue to understand, gain trust and replace hostility; the use peaceful means to consolidate democracy; and the use democracy to determine Taiwans future. If both sides understand each other, damages can be prevented, he said. The interaction and mutual understanding we speak about is in reality here. Chair Su, however, emphasized that there are several aspects in the DPPs approach towards China policy. He cited the example of President Ma Ying-jeous approval rating at 15% because of his inability to confront Chinas bullying internationally. The public in Taiwan has questioned whether our government is determined to protect our sovereignty, and this adds more expectations towards the DPP, he said. He foresees the DPP will become increasingly important and the people will have higher expectations of the DPP. Internationally, Chair Su said, President Ma is seen as more China-inclined, and China has even made statements internationally that the Ma Administration stands on the same side as China in the issue of the Diaoyutai dispute. In regards to the Diaoyutai dispute, Chair Su highlighted that the DPPs standpoint is completely against conflict. He said that in regards to sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, the DPP is different from the China-inclined Ma Administration. The DPP advocates sovereignty, but without provocation, and supports the freedom of navigation in the region as well as a multilateral code of conduct in the South China Seas. DPP not ironclad

AUGUST 2012 Chair Su noted in the interview that even though the DPP has persistence over certain issues regarding China policy, they are not ironclad. He said, This year, we are facing the changing of leadership in China and the presidential election in the United States. The rebalancing of the U.S. towards Asia represents their value in Asias regional security. The DPP must not remain outside in the regional and international responsibility to do our utmost for Taiwan and for the Taiwanese peoples interests. However, Chair Su said that the DPP has the right to be suspicious when there is a saying of two sides, one country, which was issued by Jia Qinglin (Chairman of Chinas National Committee of the Peoples Political Consultative Conference). He explained, the KMT has said one China, different interpretations, but China has taken it a step further by taking out different interpretations and not only using one China but also one country. The opportunity for President Ma Ying-jeou to always say China is the Republic of China has disappeared. Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country that persists in a democratic system, wants to preserve freedom and respect for human rights, he emphasized. This is a consensus and the highest values placed by the 23 million people in Taiwan. The people of Taiwan highly cherishes our democratic achievements, and these are values that will never be abandoned. Under the circumstance of not abandoning this principle of faith, in the interaction between Taiwan and China, we can carry out commerce and trade, but in everything that we sell or buy, there are only certain items that we do not sell, and that is freedom, democracy and sovereignty. Lastly, Chair Su expressed his viewpoints about the current changes in China. He said that he believes China is constantly changing, citing the example of the past inability of Chinese people PAGE 2

 to travel abroad, but now this has changed with more Chinese people getting richer. He mentioned that even Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan have asked him to take pictures with them when in the past, they did not dare to, and this reflects that China is becoming more open, he said. From his experience in seeing the social changes in Taiwan in the past, he said that he can see that in the hearts and minds of people, home and reform is

AUGUST 2012 unstoppable. Upon seeing China becoming better economically, he said the DPP also hopes that both sides will have better relations in the future, hoping that China will be open democratically and have respect for human rights.

DPP critiques Chiang-Chen meeting on investment protection agreement

In mid-August of this year, Chiang Pin-kung (Chairman, Straits Exchange Foundation, SEF) and Chen Yunlin (Chairman, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, ARATS) met for the 8th time since the KMT has taken administrative power in 2008. This times discussion is focused on reaching an agreement concerning cross strait investment protection. DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang has called two meetings to discuss with DPP legislators and academic experts in order to issue the DPPs standpoints concerning this investment protection agreement. There are two demands from the DPP to President Ma Ying-jeous Administration in regards to signing the recent investment protection agreement: 1. Legislative Yuan supervision - this agreement must be turned over to the Legislative Yuan for supervision according to Cross Strait Relations Law, Article 5. 2. Each case must be settled - many damages have already been inflicted on Taiwanese businessmen and the government must pressure China to resolve these disputes. The purpose of signing this agreement is to be able to resolve these cases, and if these cannot be achieved, then this agreement shouldnt be called investment protection for Taiwanese businesses. The government must list all the cases involved and pursue settlements for each of them. The DPP will ensure that it monitors each development through its supervisory role in the Legislative Yuan. Chair Su said that investors from China must abide by the legal system in Taiwan, which contains human rights protection, however, Taiwanese businessmen going to China do not receive any guarantees regarding human rights, he said. Chair Su said that the DPP strongly advocates that this times agreement includes clauses that respect the universal value of human rights, ensuring, for example, that Taiwanese businessmen in China have the right to inform their families within 24 hours if arrested and for China to allow family visitors as well as the rights to have legal representation present when interrogated. It has been concerning that many Taiwanese businessmen have received personal threats or their financial assets been taken away in China, Chair Su said. The DPP strongly supports cross strait investment protection agreements that are in

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 line with the principles of international arbitration when occurrences of conflict arises between Taiwanese business investments in China. Nevertheless, the agreement signed failed to include any human rights clauses. Joseph Wu, executive director of the DPPs Policy Research Committee held a press conference expressing regret that the agreements signed at the ChiangChen meeting still remained under the One China Framework. Commenting on the agreement, Joseph Wu said: Taiwan was hoping to use a third-party international arbitration system and receive human

AUGUST 2012 rights guarantees from China, but we didnt achieve any of these goals. Adding protection to Taiwanese businessmen as an addendum in the form of consensus and using vague text shows that there is a lack of legal validity to the agreement. Taiwans basic demands are not to receive preferential treatment in China. What we wanted was that, just like Chinese people coming to Taiwan and receiving the guarantees under Taiwanese law, the same treatment is given in China, which is following the international standards in human rights. We are only requesting equality, and unfortunately, we did not see it in the consensus addendum.

DPP sends delegation to observe U.S. Republican, Democratic Convention

DPP Spokesperson Lin Chun-hsian announced at a press conference in mid-August that the DPP will send representatives to attend the U.S. Republican and Democratic Convention, which will be held in Tampa, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina respectively. The delegation will be comprised of DPP legislators and party executives and will head out the last week of August and early September. Liu Shih-chung, director of the Department of International Affairs, told the press that the DPP highly values U.S.-Taiwan relations, and attending both conventions will give an opportunity for the DPP to exchange views in foreign policy with both camps. Liu explained that U.S. party conventions are held every four years to rally for the presidential election, which will be held this year in November 6. Since Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs PAGE 4 have extended an invitation to opposition parties to attend the conventions, Chair Su Tseng-chang has highly prioritized the nomination of DPP participates for this U.S. delegation, Liu said. The first delegation will depart Aug. 27 for the Republican Convention. The delegations for this group are: legislators Mark Chen, Lin Chia-lung and Yeh Yi-jin and Liu Shih-chung, director of the Department of International Affairs. The second delegation to the Democratic Convention will depart on Sept. 3 and include legislators Lee Chunyi, Lee Ying-yuan and Wu Hsiang-jung, deputy director of the DPPs think tank.

AUGUST 2012

DPP re-organizes think tank in preparation for governance

Chair Su Tseng-chang finalized personnel appointments for the New Frontier Foundation, which is the DPPs policy think tank, calling a meeting with policy experts on Aug. 15 to discuss administrative issues regarding the think tanks organization. It was agreed that the think tank would be organized in twenty-two policy subcommittees that include: economics and industry, finance, agriculture, transportation, land and urban planning, environment, technology, judiciary, social welfare, labor, health insurance, education, culture, media and communications, ethnic and gender relations, local governance, democracy, administrative efficiency, China policy, defense and foreign policy. Chair Su Tseng-chang said that the think tank was founded on Feb. 23rd by Former Chair Tsai Ing-wen in order to create the 10 Year Policy Platform. He said the 10 Year Policy Platform will serve as the future guideline for the think tank to develop policy. However, the purpose of the think tank has also changed after the presidential election. he said. Being the largest opposition party with experience in government, the DPP must address major policy failures that are right now driven by the KMT. He cited examples of KMT inefficiency that Taiwan is currently facing. These included: youth unemployment, growing income gap, low economic growth lagging behind the Asian tigers, an economic strategy with excessive tilt to China, shortage of planning in construction and housing policy, among others. Lin Wan-yi, professor at the Department of Social Work of National Taiwan University, will PAGE 5 serve as the think tanks executive director. In a DPP press statement, he said the first phase of the think tank will be to explore issues that the current government has failed to resolve. He emphasized that the think tank will also focus on policies that will help Taiwans sustainable future. The second phase of the think tank will involve identifying important issues to be addressed for the next seven-in-one local elections in 2014, Lin said. Lin said that major news and policy issues will be discussed openly, and they will be posted on the website for comments and suggestions from the public.

AUGUST 2012

Chair Su Tseng-chang meets with U.S. think tank delegation

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang met with a delegation of think tank experts from the U.S. on Aug. 17 at the DPP Headquarters to exchange views on Asian regional security and cross strait relations. In regards to security in the Asian region, Chair Su Tseng-chang said that today marked the 30th anniversary of the U.S.-China August 17 Communique and while the U.S. and China signed this agreement, President Ronal Reagan also gave six assurances to Taiwan, which included providing defensive weapons to Taiwan without prior counseling from Beijing. Chair Su said he was grateful to the United States for creating the Taiwan Relations Act along with the six assurances, providing Taiwan with defense capabilities in order to maintain regional stability and security in the Asian region, but at the same time, protecting Taiwans democracy.

He also noted that Taiwan wishes to become self-reliant and to show its determination for selfdefense with an adequate defense budget. He further said he welcomed the renewed interest of the U.S. towards Asia, saying that he hoped the U.S., just like 30 years ago, continues to adhere and ensure Taiwans security and regional stability. In order to avoid unnecessary conflicts the trend of world peace and stability in Asia Pacific are also in line with U.S. interests, he said. Guests of the meeting included U.S. Navy Admiral Gary Roughead, distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution; Ms. Bonnie Glaser, senior fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); and Mr. Alan Romberg, director of the East Asia program at the Stimson Center, among others.

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AUGUST 2012

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

PUBLISHED BY: Department of International Aairs Democratic Progressive Party 9F, No. 30, Pei-Ping East Road, Taipei, Taiwan Tel: 886-2-2392-9989 ext. 306 Fax: 886-2-2393-0342 Email: foreign@dpp.org.tw Website: http://www.dpp.org.tw

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