Ma’s proposal “One State, Two Areas” might impact the US-Japan security

Ma’s proposal “One State, Two Areas” might impact the US-Japan security

It is rude and absolutely unacceptable that President Ma Ying-jeou (MYJ), without any advance notice or discussion, presented to China a new proposal called “One State, Two Areas,” a totally new agenda against his “Consensus of 1992,” which MYJ claims to be the key factor for him to win the election.  Again, he is being impetuous and so unpredictable.

Wu Bo-Hsiung, KMT’s Honored Chairperson, proposed“One State, Two Areas” in the meeting to Chinese President Hu Jin-tau on March 22.  Wu said it was not his idea and that he just did it for someone else. Apparently, only President MYJ had the power to assignhim such a mission.  Hu, in the critical moment of power transition in the Communist Party of China, could do nothing but listen. It is expected that the newly elected vice President Wu Den-yih might present a similar scheme to Li Ke-qiang, the Executive Vice-Premier of the State Council of the PRC, in the Boao Forum for Asia this weekend. Why did MYJ choose this time to propose such a decisive issue?

The spokesperson of the Presidential Hall explained that the proposal of “One State, Two Areas” follows the stipulation of the amenment of the ROC Consitution as well as the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, and the “state” refers to the ROC, not PRC.  However, according to the international law, the Republic of China refers to the “government” of China only, not the “state”itself. Obviously, MYJ, a Harvard PhD. of international law, made an absurd mistake.

A further worry looms threatening.  Taiwan, by all means, would have to give over its power of foreign affairs and defense to Beijing, if she becomes an area of China.  Being the protector of Taiwan, China would be obliged to deploy its People Liberated Army (PLA) to Taiwan, just as what Beijing did to Hong Kong in 1997 and Masau in 1999.  PLA’s deploy in Taiwan would signify that Beijing’s Anti-Area and Access-Denial strategy is completed at once.  Since Taiwan and its southern sea water is within the area of responsibility to Japanese Self Defense Forces (JSDF) and the US troops, MYJ’s “One State, Two Areas” could trigger unpredictable consequences in this area.  The“One State, Two Areas” proposal might be equally critical, if not dangerous, to the US, Japan as well as China, compared to a rumored unilateral proclamation of Taiwan independence before 2008.

MYJ expected PLA to relieve the disaster of Typhoon Morakut in 2009; however, the US troops from Okinawa came to do the job. The US forces, not PLA, has flew the flag on southern Taiwan in the incident. MYJ must be aware its significance.

The exchange between Taiwan and China should be analysed and proposed along the security system and the balance of powers in East Asia.  Taiwan should not reach any secret political deal with China.   Related countries have a legitimate right to show concern.

Contrast to common sense, abrupt policy shifts or unilateral compromise by either part is not always a display of good will to the other.  Chinese North East News pointed out that it could be a trap set up by MYJ.  The news agency showed their worry in an article saying that Beijing might acknowledg Taipei as an equal entity to Beijing, if the latter accepts MYJ’s “One State, Two Areas” proposal.

MYJ has submitted several sweet proposals to Beijing in the past six months, such as the political agreement, the peace agreeement, the Consensus of 1992, and the latest “One State, Two Areas.”  These, not known to the outside world before they were announced, were apparently the practices of Ma’s secret politics. Ma’s cronies decided and demanded KMT’s cadre members to follow.  No questioning is allowed.  To MYJ and his cronies, there is no room for the general public to participate however critical the decisions may be to these citizens.  Yet, public policies should be considered deliberately before its announcement; then, the authority seeks consensus from opposition parties and the general public.  It is a time-consuming process, but it will pay off in the long run.

More than clearly, Ma’s decision making pattern resembles the practice of Democratic Centralism, a basic principle in establishing communist regimes and conducting their politics.  Wondering where he picked it up?    revised at 2310