Guidelines for National Unification
The Guidelines for National Unification (
Executive Yuan Council on February 23, 1991. The guidelines have a three-step process for the gradual unification of mainland China and Taiwan
.
Contents
The National Unification Guidelines endorses the
One China policy before any other statements: "Both the mainland and Taiwan are parts of Chinese territory. Helping to bring about national unification should be the common responsibility of all Chinese people." However, the document emphasized that unification must "first respect the rights and interests of the people in the Taiwan area, and protect their security and welfare". A more radical earlier draft emphasized the "will", rather than the "rights", of the people in Taiwan, but this wording was changed at the insistence of ROC premier Hau Pei-tsun. The guidelines envisioned three stages that must be reached before planning unification:[1]
- Both sides would not "deny each other's existence" in the international community and would renounce the use of force or threats. The mainland should carry out political reforms.
- The two sides would set up official communication channels "on equal footing" and help each other participate in international organizations. In return, Taiwan will help develop the mainland's economy and open up the Three Links of communication technology.
- The two sides will establish an organization to plan the unification of a "democratic, free, and equitably prosperous China"
The NUG's demands that the PRC renounce the use of force, grant ROC political equality to itself, and let the ROC participate in international organizations, while offering little from Taiwan in return, sharply contradicted the unification proposals from mainland China. Additionally, the requirement for a "free, democratic" China to even consider unification precluded negotiations with the
Taiwanization of the ROC and the One Country on Each Side political culture in Taiwan. Nonetheless, in diplomatic terms the affirmation of the One China principle on the Taiwan side made the 1992 Consensus and the Wang-Koo Talks possible.[1]
Abrogation
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
As part of the
impeached. Chen defended his action as a response to the military threat from mainland China. Without the legal constraints of the NUG, Chen's successor, President Ma Ying-jeou
, has been able to usher in an era of unprecedented exchanges between Mainland China and Taiwan since 2008.
See also
References
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
- The Guidelines for National Unification (in English and Chinese)