Terry Gou, the founder of Foxconn, is a leading member of the opposition in Taiwan.
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showing that large-scale war involving great powers is a 21st-century reality, the Taiwan Strait has reemerged as one of the most dangerous front lines in the world. Recent visits to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen opened a more promising pathway for U.S.-China relations than has existed in the past few years, but as long as the future of Taiwan remains fraught, there cannot be stability in those relations nor assurance of the peace that the people of Taiwan deserve.
Beijing, Washington and Taipei share responsibility for the current state of confrontation. But Taiwan is most at risk — and it is up to Taiwan, its people and its leaders to take the necessary steps to secure its future.
The current Democratic Progressive Party leadership has only made the situation more tense. Under the so-called 1992 Consensus, Taiwan and China agreed to accept the framework of One China — although the parties have differing interpretations of that term — and held discussions that over the years resulted in a number of productive agreements. But shortly after Tsai Ing-wen became Taiwan’s president in 2016, China cited her refusal to accept Beijing’s interpretation — which includes Taiwan as part of China — as a justification to end the cross-strait talks, and they have not resumed.
Vice President Lai Ching-te, who is running to succeed Tsai as president, has called for reducing trade ties with the mainland, which he calls “dependencies,” and insists that they can be replaced by an international network of partners. Like Tsai, he rejects the One China framework.
But the 1992 Consensus the ruling party wishes to walk away from has facilitated millions of visits across the strait, massive investments and two-way trade, economic growth, hundreds of weekly direct flights, a relaxation in tensions and a sense of optimism about a peaceful future on both sides. By abandoning the One China framework for talks, the current leaders in Taiwan and those in their party who would replace them have greatly aggravated the threat of war, isolated Taiwan internationally, damaged our economy, scared away investors and made Taiwan less secure.
I have long advocated the immediate resumption of direct cross-strait negotiations between Taiwan and China as the only way to truly ease tensions and to preserve Taiwan’s democracy, freedom and rule of law. Posturing for partisan political advantage or to piggyback on U.S.-China confrontation is no substitute for the real work of talking and negotiating with those who will have the most impact on our future. To loosely quote the late Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin, you negotiate peace with your enemies, not with your friends. We need to ensure that in the future Taiwan and China will not behave as enemies, as they see each other under the present leadership. My extensive business dealings and personal experience with China — both its leadership and its people — tell me that they need not be.
The people of Taiwan need peace and stability to ensure a bright future, unclouded by uncertainty. Peace is not an abstraction for me. I am part of the generation that fought to defend Taiwan: I served 50 years ago on Kinmen, which was bombarded by China in 1958, with hostilities persisting for two decades. We, the people of Taiwan, must ensure that such events are never repeated. Unfortunately, reckless rhetoric and provocative policies are making a recurrence more likely, not less.
Taiwan has become a world leader in technology and economic development. It has done so in no small part by leveraging the entrepreneurial talents of its people and businesses with Chinese partners. In direct talks with the Chinese, it can show the world that it also can be a responsible global political actor by defending its integrity and values in pragmatic negotiations on vital issues and defusing tensions.
Taiwan’s people greatly appreciate the material and moral support the United States has provided over the past seven decades. Taiwan’s democracy, its economic dynamism and its strong defense owe much to the American people. That support is still important. But there comes a time when a people has to assume principal responsibility for itself, not accept a tutelage that becomes an unhealthy dependency. Taiwan has to take control of its destiny, strengthen deterrence capability and, at the same time, deliver an approach to peace that benefits the region and the globe, but most of all itself.
It can do so only by working with China directly on the basis of the One China framework.
That will necessitate direct, face-to-face talks by senior leaders of both governments. There is room in such a framework for Taiwan to fully protect its democracy, freedom and way of life even as we undertake what is sure to be a long and arduous process of discussion and negotiation. But in the meantime, it is absolutely vital that China and Taiwan agree on a framework and a process that can pull us back from the precipice.
