With hopes for improved relations be-tween Taiwan and China growing since the beginning of the year, Taipei's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and Beijing's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) renewed contact in April. During the April discussions, the two sides agreed to a meeting within the year between SEF Chairman Koo Chen-fu and ARATS President Wang Daohan. This development marked the resumption of consultations that had been broken off two years and nine months earlier.

On 22 April, SEF Deputy Secretary-General Jan Jyh-horng led an eight-member delegation to Beijing for a three-day visit. Although the visit did not involve official consultations or dialog, it was nevertheless a significant step toward breaking the current impasse in cross-strait relations and spurring future contacts.

In addition to meeting with ARATS Deputy Secretary-General Li Yafei to discuss increased contacts between SEF and ARATS, Jan also met with ARATS Executive Vice-Chairman Tang Shubei. These meetings were seen as highly significant signs of a thaw in cross-strait relations. The two sides have handled this attempt to re-establish contacts with extreme caution. According to Jan, the delegation's trip did not involve consultations, but was only aimed at creating a positive atmosphere for future dialog and exchange. Li Yafei, for his part, insisted that his meeting with Jan Jyh-horng had nothing to do with "semi-official consultations" or "semi-official exchanges," but was simply part of the preparatory work for the visit to China by SEF Chairman Koo Chen-fu. Jan Jyh-horng stated: "I would use the term 'semi-official contact' to describe the trip."

A 1993 agreement on a system of contacts and discussions between SEF and ARATS calls in principle for semi-official discussions once every half-year between the vice-chairman of ARATS and the secretary-general of SEF. The agreement also calls for quarterly semi-official working-level talks between officials at the level of deputy secretary-general. It was with this agreement in mind that Jan Jyh-horng delivered a message via Tang Shubei inviting Li Yafei, deputy secretary-general of ARATS, to lead a delegation to Taipei in the near future. The idea is to build toward a resumption of talks between Shi Hwei-yow (SEF vice-chairman and secretary-general) and Tang Shubei, and from there to a resumption of talks between Koo Chen-fu and Wang Daohan.

Tang Shubei did not give a direct reply to the invitation from Jan, but he did use the occasion to reiterate Beijing's wish to find an opportunity to "discuss procedural matters connected with political negotiations." Jan Jyh-horng responded that although Taipei has never sought to avoid political negotiations aimed at eventual reunification, both Beijing and Taipei would first have to approach such negotiations with a common understanding that "the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are ruled by separate and equal entities." Once the two sides have achieved this common understanding and meetings between Koo Chen-fu and Wang Daohan have resumed, they "will have to" exchange views on procedural matters connected with political negotiations.

Current political realities and the disagreement over Taipei's status vis-*-vis Beijing remain the most important issues on the agenda. According to Shi Hwei-yow, the renewal of contact between SEF and ARATS is a good beginning, but since the two sides agree that meetings will advance from exchanges to consultations, the one should not be made a precondition for the other, as it could create obstacles to the achievement of both. In addition to differing views regarding what should be discussed in semi-official consultations between Koo and Wang, there are also differences concerning the format of such meetings. Beijing has suggested that ARATS and SEF could act as joint hosts of a conference to which Koo would be invited as a participant, but Jan Jyh-horng has indicated that such a proposal requires careful consideration. It would involve many details, and a great deal of coordination would be required to deal with such matters as the theme and location of the conference, and questions about who is host and who is guest. He added that it would probably be best to take the much simpler route of reciprocal visits by delegations.

In the view of Koo Chen-fu, there is no need to make a big fuss over formalities; the most important thing is to get started with reciprocal visits and exchange. He hopes to visit the mainland this year. A 16-member delegation made up of central government officials from China's news media establishment was in Taiwan for a 10-day visit beginning 17 April. The delegation was headed by Xie Hong, of the People's Daily, and also included Su Guo'an, from the Ministry of Propaganda, and Zhang Mingqing, from the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office. In addition to on-site visits to companies in each of the major mass media, the delegation also toured the island. The visit has undoubtedly helped to promote a deeper understanding of Taiwan on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

In the midst of these positive signs, however, China surprised Taiwan by resuming diplomatic relations on 23 April with Guinea Bissau. This development was a slap in the face for Taiwan, which has lost diplomatic relations with yet another country. This naked reminder of China's unflagging campaign to isolate Taiwan internationally makes a mockery of budding hopes for improved cross-strait relations.

What does the future hold in store? Will the two parties continue to put forth a good-faith effort for improved relations, or will they remain at loggerheads? Will the two sides prepare seriously for more substantive negotiations, or will they persist in playing games with semantics? Both sides will have to display more sincerity than has yet been in evidence. The quest must continue.

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On 22 April a delegation from the Straits Exchange Foundation, led by SEF Deputy Secretary-General Jan Jyh-horng, arrived in Beijing for a three-day visit. (courtesy of SEF)