New Taiwanese President Reaches Out to China

Taiwan's president called for a new era of cooperation with the Chinese mainland today in an inaugural speech that could set the stage for an easing of the hostilities that have plagued cross-Straits relations for almost 50 years.

At the start of his four-year term, Ma Ying-jeou, of the nationalist party, said the first step towards rapprochement should be the normalization of diplomatic and cultural relations.

But despite his conciliatory tone, the former Taipei mayor promised to maintain the island's democratic self-rule and appealed to Beijing to grant the island more space on the international stage.

"Taiwan doesn't just want security and prosperity," he said. "It wants dignity. Only when Taiwan is no longer being isolated in the international arena can cross-strait relations move forward with confidence."

Many of the conditions for a resumption of dialog, which broke down in 1998, are already in place.

There have been meetings of officials from the two sides. The fierce rhetoric that characterized relations during the eight-year term of the previous Taiwan president, Chen Shui-bian, has softened. Ma said recent comments by Chinese president Hu Jintao were "very much in line" with his own views.

"Seeking cross-strait peace and maintaining regional stability is our goal and Taiwan still strives to become a peacemaker in the world," he said.

"I sincerely hope the two sides can make the best use of this historic chance to create a new chapter of peace and prosperity."

To improve the climate further, Ma called for a diplomatic truce. The two sides have spent billions trying to win support from third countries and representation on international organizations. In the latest of many recent defeats for Taiwan, its bid for observer status in the World Health Organization was rejected yesterday.

Ma said the island should be given more room to operate. "In the light of our common Chinese heritage, people on both sides should do their utmost to jointly contribute to the international community without engaging in vicious competition and a waste of resources," he said.

The speech attempted to steer a middle path in domestic politics too. One of the main dividing lines in Taiwan is between the island's indigenous population, who tend to be more pro-independence, and the families of mainland immigrants who fled there after being defeated by Mao Zedong's communist forces in 1949.

Ma said Taiwan's residents belonged to the Chinese people, a description that will please Beijing's leaders, particularly because it contrasts with the former president Chen's emphasis on the island's distinctive identity.

But he also praised Taiwan's tolerance of immigration - pointing out that he was also born outside the island - and its democratic political system, which is very different from the one-party rule on the mainland. He repeated a promise that there would be no unification while he was in office.

While holding out the prospect of a peace treaty in the longer term, the new president's initial moves towards closer ties are likely to focus on economic cooperation, the start of direct commercial flights and an easing of tourism restrictions.