The NPC's statements on Taiwan

I hope to return to my high volume posting some day soon, but the time is not yet ripe (I still don't have the internet at home). But I thought I'd post a few thoughts based on Hu Jintao's working report, delivered at the National People's Congress in Beijing, and specifically about his comments on Taiwan.

There were three key sentences in the Xinhua report, if you ask me. These three sentences really highlight, to me, why Ma Ying-jeou's approach to cross-strait relations is built on smoke and mirrors.

1: "The 'one country, two systems' model is absolutely correct."

This has been China's consistant position despite the fact that virtually nobody in Taiwan supports this model. China has no intent on developing any other models for fear it could help lead to a break-up of the country or less centralized control.

With the basic Chinese position being this clear, how can Ma expect to have anything approaching good faith negotiations? How can he support "One China" domestically with China always mentions "One country [China]" and "two systems" in one breath?

2: "Any political party in Taiwan, as long as it accepts that both sides of the strait are part of one China, is a party we would agree to have dialogue with, negotiate with, and discuss any issue at all."

To date, Ma Ying-jeou has not been able to explain how he views the 'mainland' or whether the ROC actually includes it. The closest he's come is in the opposite direction, saying that the ROC is Taiwan.

Basically, Ma claims he can negotiate with China on the basis that he accepts a One China principle, and he's probably right. But what exactly does that mean to him? And can he honestly win an election claiming there is only one China in the world, the ROC? I don't think so.

3: "Any question regarding the integrity of China's soverignty and territory must be decided by the entire Chinese people, including those in Taiwan." In other words, Beijing continues to insist Taiwanese people will not have the right to determine their own future. No surprise there.

But with this being such a basic part of the Chinese position, how can Ma deal with it? He doesn't exactly endorse the Chinese position, and yet he won't come out and say that only the Taiwanese people have a right to determine their future. He might be able to obfuscate long enough to avoid dealing with the topic, but the DPP is pushing the UN referendum because it forces you to talk about the referendum, the future of Taiwan and who can decide that.

In any case, no surprises or big shifts yet from Beijing. I'm sure a lot is going on under the table, and I'll try and keep an eye on the situation.