Cross-Strait Relations Under the Tsai Ing-Wen Administration
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1 TAIWAN-2016/09/15 THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS UNDER THE TSAI ING-WEN ADMINISTRATION Washington, D.C. Thursday, September 15, 2016 Welcome: RICHARD C. BUSH, III Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies The Brookings Institution CHRISTOPHER K. JOHNSON Senior Advisor and Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS STANLEY KAO Representative Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States Keynote Address: CHENG-YI LIN Deputy Minister, Mainland Affairs Council, Executive Yuan Panel 1: Opportunities and Challenges in Cross-Strait Relations: RICHARD C. BUSH, III, Moderator Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies The Brookings Institution JIANN-FA YAN Professor, Chien Hsin University of Science and Technology ARTHUR SHUH-FAN DING Research Fellow and Director, Institute of International Relations National Chengchi University DAVID BROWN Adjunct Professor, China Studies, School of Advanced International Studies Johns Hopkins University ZHIQUN ZHU Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations Chair, China Institute, Bucknell University ANDERSON COURT REPORTING 706 Duke Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (703) 519-7180 Fax (703) 519-7190 2 TAIWAN-2016/09/15 Panel 2: Political and Economic Developments in Mainland China: SCOTT KENNEDY, Moderator Deputy Director, Freeman Chair in China Studies Director, Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy, CSIS CHRISTOPHER K. JOHNSON Senior Advisor and Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS SZU-CHIEN HSU President, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy DALI YANG Professor, Political Science, University of Chicago CHIH-CHIEH CHOU Professor, Department of Political Science, Graduate Institute of Political Economy National Cheng Kung University Lunch Remarks: Taiwan’s Regional Economic Integration: SCOTT KENNEDY, Moderator Deputy Director, Freeman Chair in China Studies Director, Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy, CSIS Panel 3: U.S.-Taiwan-Mainland China Relations Within New Political Environments: RICHARD C. BUSH, III, Moderator Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies Senior Fellow and Director, Center for East Asia Policy Studies The Brookings Institution BONNIE GLASER Senior Advisor for Asia Director, Project on Chinese Power, CSIS SUISHENG ZHAO Director, Center for China-U.S. Cooperation Professor, University of Denver WEN-CHENG LIN Professor, College of Social Science National Sun Yat-sen University MING-YEN TSAI Professor, Graduate Institute of International Politics National Chung Hsing University * * * * * ANDERSON COURT REPORTING 706 Duke Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (703) 519-7180 Fax (703) 519-7190 3 TAIWAN-2016/09/15 P R O C E E D I N G S MR. BUSH: Good morning. If I could ask you to take your seats, ladies and gentlemen, we will get started. My name is Richard Bush. I'm the director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies here at Brookings, and the proud holder of the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies here at Brookings. It's my great pleasure to welcome you to our event today, Cross-Strait Relations under the Tsai Ing-Wen Administration. I think that we have an excellent lineup of experts to speak about these issues, and there are many sub-issues involved. So I think we will all have a lot to learn. My main function as the convener is to thank a lot of other people for making this event possible. First of all, I want to thank the Institute for International Relations of National Chengchi University for cosponsoring this event, and in particular, I would like to thank my good friend Arthur Ding for all the hard work that he has done in arranging things on the Taipei end of this. On the Washington end of this, this is yet another in a series of close collaborations between the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and I would like to thank Chris Johnson and Scott Kennedy for their leadership in bringing this about. There are a lot of staff people here at Brookings at CSIS and at IIR who have done the real work, and those of us who stand at the podium would not be at the podium without their hard work. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council for their facilitation and encouragement. That means a lot to us. Actually, that's not the final thanks. The final thanks is to Ambassador Stanley Kao, who is the Republic of China's Representative here in Washington, D.C., and he's kindly agreed to take time out of his very busy schedule to make some welcoming remarks. So without further ado, Ambassador Kao. ANDERSON COURT REPORTING 706 Duke Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (703) 519-7180 Fax (703) 519-7190 4 TAIWAN-2016/09/15 (Applause) MR. KAO: Thank you very much, Dr. Richard Bush. And thank you all very much for having me this morning. And on behalf of TECRO, I'd like to, of course, thank and congratulate Brookings CSIS, of course, Minister Lin, and also the team of IIR, who put together such a wonderful and equally meaningful conference today. Of course, National Chengchi University, of course, plays a big part in this exercise, and I am so very proud and extremely pleased. Also, Chengchi is my alma mater. And, of course, this is very important and a very interesting topic, and the President Tsai Ing-wen, of course, in her May 20th inaugural speech, and then followed by several media interviews and some public announcements, part of statements, she has repeatedly talked about one of the key party's agenda will be to maintain a status quo, I mean, a presumably dynamic status quo so as to pursue a consistent, predictable, and sustainable cross-Strait relations without compromising Taiwan's sovereignty and the political democracy and economic prosperity. This is the ultimate values and interests of Taiwan, of course constitutionally called the Republic of China and what the country stands for. And nobody, of course including Tsai Ing-wen herself would believe this is an easy job. But during her career as a teaching professor at Jen-da, and a chief trade negotiator, then one of the early mainland China policymakers, the imparted chairwoman, now the first female head of state. She and her team, including Minister Lin, certainly have their work cut out for her. But I think one of the fair observations (inaudible) will be that, of course, she should not take anything for granted. She has to stay focused. But on the other hand, she should not be overly optimistic, nor pessimistic. Right now, stay calm, steadfast, realistic, and forward-looking. So I think that is a very fair observation. I understand you are putting together some of the best and the brightest, most particulate thinkers and authors in this room and throughout the day, so I believe it ANDERSON COURT REPORTING 706 Duke Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (703) 519-7180 Fax (703) 519-7190 5 TAIWAN-2016/09/15 will be a most inspiring and stimulating intellectual exercise. So I wish you good luck. Thank you very much. (Applause) MR. JOHNSON: Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador, and thank you, Richard, for hosting us here today. My name is Chris Johnson. I'm the Freeman Chair in China Studies here at CSIS, and I just want to also extend my warm welcome to everyone for making the time to come and see us today. I have the great pleasure to be able to introduce Deputy Minister Lin to come and speak with us. We're very honored that you have taken the time today to come and share your thoughts with us on this very important subject. Just a few brief biographic notes. Lin Cheng-Yi is currently, of course, the deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council in the Executive UN. Prior to his appointment, he served as a research fellow at the Institute for European and American Studies at Academia Sinica, as well as the institute director from 1998 to 2003. From 2004 to 2005, he was the director of the Institute of National Relations at Chengchi University. And he also served as senior advisor for the National Security Council in 2003 and 2004. Dr. Lin holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Virginia, as well as a B.A. and M.A. from National Chengchi University. So without further ado, please join me in welcoming Vice Minister Lin. (Applause) MR. LIN: Director, Dr. Bush, and senior advisor, Chris Johnson, Director (inaudible), ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I'm deeply honored to be invited to attend the International Symposium jointly hosted today by the Brookings Institution, the CSIS, and National Chengchi University in Taiwan. The symposium takes on particular meaning and timing in the ANDERSON COURT REPORTING 706 Duke Street, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone (703) 519-7180 Fax (703) 519-7190 6 TAIWAN-2016/09/15 unique context of internal and external development in cross-Strait relations. Today, I would like to talk on the current development in cross-Strait relations and offer five observations from a Taipei perspective. Observations one. Starting with respect for the 1992 talks is the key to maintaining peaceful status quo across the Taiwan Strait. In her inaugural address on May 20th this year, President Tsai Ing-wen made it clear in 1992 Straits Exchange Foundation in Taiwan ended association for relations across the Taiwan Strait in Beijing, through communication and negotiation, arrive at a joint acknowledgments and understandings in the spirit of seeking common ground while setting aside differences in that Taiwan respect this historic fact.