DATE=7/7/98 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-40873 TITLE=TAIWAN / INDEPENDENCE BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO DATELINE=TAIWAN CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: ONE CRUCIAL ISSUE THAT HAS SEPARATED TAIWAN'S RULING NATIONALIST PARTY FROM ITS MAIN OPPOSITION, THE DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY, FOR THE PAST DECADE IS WHETHER THE ISLAND SHOULD SEEK OUTRIGHT INDEPENDENCE. V-O-A'S STEPHANIE HO REPORTS RE-UNIFICATION WITH MAINLAND CHINA -- WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE NATIONALIST PARTY'S POSITION -- IS NOW ALSO BEING DISCUSSED BY THE OPPOSITION PARTY. TEXT: A BOOK PUBLISHED SEVERAL YEARS AGO BY TAIWAN'S MAIN OPPOSITION -- THE DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY, OR D-P-P -- IS PLAINTIVELY TITLED "GIVE TAIWAN A CHANCE." IN IT, THE GROUP CALLS THE RULING NATIONALIST PARTY, K-M-T, INCOMPETENT, AND BLAMES THE K-M-T FOR THE ISLAND'S DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION. THE D-P-P HAS BECOME FAMOUS FOR CAMPAIGNING FOR TAIWAN'S INDEPENDENCE -- A POSITION THAT HAS ALARMED BOTH THE K-M-T PARTY AND THE AUTHORITIES IN BEIJING, WHO CONSIDER THE ISLAND A REBEL PROVINCE. RECENTLY, HOWEVER, THE OPPOSITION PARTY SEEMS TO HAVE TONED DOWN ITS RHETORIC. THE D-P-P ANNOUNCED THAT HIGH-RANKING PARTY OFFICIALS WILL TAKE TURNS VISITING MAINLAND CHINA IN THE NEAR FUTURE. NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, GER YEONG-KUANG, ADDS THAT THE OUTGOING D-P-P CHAIRMAN, HSU HSIN-LIANG, CALLS THE PARTY'S POLICY ONE COUNTRY, ONE SYSTEM -- A VARIATION ON CHINA'S ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS REUNIFICATION PLAN FOR TAIWAN. // GER ACT // THE SO-CALLED ONE SYSTEM IS A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM. HE (HSU HSIN-LIANG) SAID ONCE THE P-R-C HAS TRANSFORMED ITSELF INTO A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM, THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT UNIFICATION. REMEMBER, TALK ABOUT UNIFICATION, NOT INDEPENDENCE. AND THE D-P-P'S POLICY IN THE PAST WAS INDEPENDENCE AND ACCORDING TO THEIR PARTY PLATFORM, THEY ARE STILL ARGUING FOR TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE. BUT HSU HSIN-LIANG MENTIONED HE'S WILLING TO TALK ABOUT UNIFICATION. // END ACT // PROFESSOR GER WELCOMES THIS ALTERATION OF THE OPPOSITION PARTY'S STANCE AS A POSITIVE THING, AND SAYS DOMESTIC AGREEMENT ON THIS QUESTION IS WHAT TAIWANESE PEOPLE WANT. // GER SECOND ACT // ONCE THE POLITICAL PARTIES HERE IN TAIWAN CAN REACH CONSENSUS ABOUT TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE OR UNIFICATION ISSUE, I THINK DOMESTIC POLITICS WILL BECOME MORE STABLE. SO, IN SOME DEGREE, IT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROWTH OF TAIWAN'S DEMOCRACY. IT WILL ALSO CALM DOWN THE PEOPLE HERE BECAUSE THEY ARE TIRED OF THE INTERNAL FIGHTING AMONG POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICIANS. // END ACT // ALTHOUGH PROFESSOR GER SAYS HE DOES NOT SUPPORT INDEPENDENCE FOR TAIWAN, HE ADVOCATES A MORE AGGRESSIVE DIPLOMATIC ROLE FOR THE ISLAND -- POINTING TO OTHER PRECEDENTS. // GER THIRD ACT // AFTER WORLD WAR TWO, THERE WERE SEVERAL DIVIDED COUNTRIES -- SUCH AS GERMANY AND KOREA. BEFORE UNIFICATION, TWO GERMANIES COULD CO-EXIST WITH EACH OTHER IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. WHY NOT CHINA? AND NOW, TWO KOREAS COULD CO-EXIST WITH EACH OTHER IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. WHY NOT CHINA? SO WE DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR FOR MAINLAND CHINA TO ISOLATE TAIWAN IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. // END ACT // BEIJING HAS NOT RENOUNCED THE USE OF FORCE TO TAKE TAIWAN BACK. MR. GER SAYS HE IS CONVINCED THAT IF THE ISLAND DOES INDEED TRY TO SEEK INDEPENDENCE, THIS WILL GIVE CHINA A REASON TO GO TO WAR. WHAT HE ADVOCATES, INSTEAD, IS A MAINTENANCE OF THE STATUS QUO -- WITH NO INDEPENDENCE FOR TAIWAN, AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH SIDES CONTINUING DISCUSSIONS ON THE ISLAND'S EVENTUAL REUNIFICATION WITH CHINA. (SIGNED) NEB/HO/TMD/MMK 07-Jul-98 12:48 PM EDT (1648 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .