China and Taiwan Sign Landmark Deal

The People's Republic of China and the plain old Republic of China, also known as Taiwan, have signed a very important deal designed to diffuse tensions along the China Straits. Their agreement increases charter flights between the two by a factor of 3, sixty cargo flights per month will be allowed, and direct postal links are to speed delivery times. It isn't a resolution of the main problem, who runs China, but it makes war much less likely.

The real problem stems from the ChiCom victory over the Kuomintang in the Chinese Civil War. Mao held the mainland, but Chiang Kai-Shek got his KMT army onto the island of Taiwan. Both regimes claim to govern China, and both maintain a “one China” policy. The PRC says Taiwan is a rogue province, and the Taipei regime says the Beijing government is not legitimate.

For almost 60 years, this position has remained unresolved. Often, there has been sabre-rattling. Mostly, the threats have come from the PRC side, but the KMT has been irresponsible too. The big change in the situation arose with the passing of Mao, and the state capitalists took over the PRC. Taiwan has grown rich, and everybody wants to make deals. Add in a resolution of Hong Kong's status in 1997, and a final resolution of Taipei's situation is not unthinkable.

Thus, Chen Yunlin, China's top official for handling relations with Taiwan, visits for 5 days and helps produce the current deal. Food safety alerts, more direct air links and tax free port access may seem like a long way from finalizing the relationship, but in reality, they create a constituency on both sides that will press for closer and closer ties.

There is already a constituency in Taipei that wants independence declared. Thousands were in the streets yesterday protesting Mr. Chen's arrival. The BBC reports, “Thousands of police were deployed to ensure Mr Chen's safety, after his deputy Zhang Mingqing was jostled and knocked to the ground by protesters during a visit to Taiwan in October.” The forces of reason and accommodation haven't won yet.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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