No substantial progress has been made on cross-Straits issues since Beijing, in early May, scrapped import tariffs on 15 varieties of Taiwanese-grown fruit and lifted the ban on mainland tourists visiting Taiwan. As talks are needed over the details of both issues, it is clear the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration in Taiwan is playing politics.

The DPP administration at first refused Beijing's proposal to hold private talks between industrial associations from both sides, although such a model proved successful in arranging non-stop cross-Straits charter flights during this year's Spring Festival holiday. Instead it insisted on governmental talks on the grounds that cross-Straits agricultural exchanges and tourism concerned governmental power.

Only when public pressure began to mount on the island did Taiwanese "premier" Frank Hsieh reluctantly show a willingness to talk to the mainland. On June 13, Hsieh said his government had authorized the Taiwan External Trade Development Council to negotiate over the export of Taiwan's farm goods to the mainland. Meanwhile, Hsieh was quoted as saying in a government statement that "pursuing peaceful development and improving cross-Straits ties is the government's main goal." Local media hailed the move as the most concrete step the DPP administration had taken in more than a month.

But Taiwan "president" Chen Shui-bian poured cold water on the announcement only two days after Hsieh's remarks. The Taiwanese leader said on June 15 that last year's Taiwanese fruit exports to the mainland and Hong Kong amounted to only 0.6 per cent of the island's total fruit production, far less than sales to Japan and the United States. He blasted opposition politicians for holding out the prospect of big profits for farmers from fruit exports to the mainland.

It is obvious that Chen deliberately neglected to mention the fact that the small amount of exports of Taiwanese fruit to the mainland is mainly the result of the DPP administration's ill-considered policies towards the mainland. Since coming into power in May 2000, the DPP administration, under the leadership of Chen, has done little to improve cross-Straits relations.

It has yet to lift the island's decades-old ban on three direct links - trade, transport and postal services - across the Taiwan Straits. It is the absence of direct air and shipping links that have made it hard for the island to export fruit to the mainland because this leads to high transport costs and long delivery times.

The seemingly contradictory comments from Chen and Hsieh fully reflect the dilemma facing the DPP administration. It is under great pressure to establish closer trade ties with the mainland, while fearing stronger cross-Straits links will undermine its attempt to seek independence for the island. That explains why the Taiwan authorities have a passive attitude towards the issues of farm exports and tourism, although they know both will greatly benefit the island's economic growth and the immediate interests of Taiwanese farmers.

It seems that the DPP administration's show of willingness to talk is mere posturing aimed at easing public pressure. For Chen and his administration, the longer the issue of talks drags on the better. Such a thought has prompted the DPP administration to discourage representatives from the Taiwan Provincial Farmers' Association from visiting Beijing for talks on fruit exports to the mainland. The association is one of the island's biggest private groups representing farmers.

In the absence of any practical steps from the Taiwan authorities, the association sent representatives to meet the mainland's Cross-Straits Economic and Trade Exchange Association in Beijing last Wednesday. The DPP administration immediately threatened to punish the association. Clearly, it does not like any positive developments on this issue.

All the facts have suggested the DPP administration is still bound by its strong ideology and hostility towards the mainland. Preoccupied with its attempts to promote "Taiwan independence" and isolate the island from the mainland, the last thing the administration wants to see is closer relations across the Straits.

No wonder it has labelled the mainland's offers as "united front tactics of divide and conquer." Some Taiwanese officials have gone so far as to propose holding negotiations on exports of Taiwanese agricultural products to the mainland under the framework of the World Trade Organization in a bid to internationalize the Taiwan issue.

Another major reason for the DPP administration's cold-shouldering of the mainland's offers is the political rivalry between the ruling party and the island's two biggest opposition parties. As the offers came during the historic visits to the mainland by Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong, the DPP administration is extremely reluctant to accept them.

The ruling DPP apparently fears the KMT and PFP will score political points once the mainland's gifts benefit the island's public. Thus, it would rather sacrifice public interests than give any favours to the opposition parties.

Since Taiwan's fruit is ready to be harvested, talks over fruit exports to the mainland remain a far off goal. Taiwanese fruit growers may have to face overproduction again this year and suffer great losses. What can you expect from a ruling party that only cherishes its own interests?

Source: China Daily