[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 96 (Thursday, July 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                             TAIWAN POLICY

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, we have a rather unusual set of 
circumstances surrounding United States policy toward our friends in 
Taiwan. The State Department has indicated that there would be an 
interagency review of our official policy toward Taiwan. The White 
House has said that it will come out any day now. It has been 1 year 
since the State Department advised us initially that the review of the 
policy was forthcoming.
  The purpose of this statement is simply to remind the White House and 
State Department that more than a reasonable period of time has gone 
by. The revision of the policy is long overdue.
  Taiwan deserves more diplomatic respect. It is an important, stable 
democratic, and loyal ally in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a model 
for emerging democracies. It has a strong and stable economy. It is now 
our fifth-largest trading partner and buys almost twice as much from 
the United States as the People's Republic of China--$14 billion in 
exports to Taiwan versus $8 billion to the PRC. It has among the 
largest foreign reserves of any nation. It has a much improved human 
rights record.
  But, Madam President, rather than reward Taiwan for good behavior, we 
seem to be punishing it with diplomatic snubs. President Lee was 
blocked from staying overnight in Hawaii. His aircraft was allowed to 
land and refuel only. He was not greeted even by the base commander.
  We have not had a Cabinet officer travel to Taiwan since Carla Hills 
back in 1991 under the previous administration. Taiwanese officials 
visiting the United States have been forced to hold meetings in a hotel 
room rather than in the State Department.
  Taiwan's representatives have been forced to operate under a name 
that really does not identify the country. Taiwan is represented in 
Washington, DC by an agency called the Coordination Council for North 
American Affairs. What does that mean? There is no identification of 
the country. It is absolutely ridiculous. The representatives should be 
allowed to use an appropriate name, such as Taiwan or Taipei 
Representative Office. The American Institute in Taiwan, which is our 
presence in Taiwan, of course identifies the United States. But 
Taiwanese who go there to obtain a visa to come to the United States 
receive a Hong Kong stamp on their visa issued in Taiwan. What is the 
State Department going to do after 1997, with absolutely inconsistent 
policies with no explanation other than the sensitivity by the PRC?
  We say that we are committed to providing for Taiwan's self-defense, 
but we arbitrarily limit our sales under a bucket agreement. It is 
very, very hard to determine just what the policy is that was reached 
initially with the People's Republic of China. Moreover, we have 
refused to help Taiwan gain a place in the United Nations.
  So I would urge the President to make changes in these outdated 
policies in a new Taiwan policy. I do not think I am alone in my 
thinking. We have 54 colleagues who signed on the letter to the 
President urging him to send Cabinet-level officials to Taiwan.
  Madam President, Ambassador James Lilley, the current director of 
Asian policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute has served 
both as Ambassador to the People's Republic of China in 1989 to 1991 
and head of the American Institute of Taiwan from 1982 to 1984. He has 
written and spoken eloquently on the need for changing our 
relationships with Taiwan.
  In a recent speech entitled ``Who is `Kow-Towing' Now'' Ambassador 
Lilley observed:

       If the Clinton administration is serious about the 
     enlargement of democracy and human rights, why not start with 
     Taiwan where outstanding progress has been made in a short 
     period of 10 years?

  A further quote:
       The current administration should not be engaged in a zero-
     sum game between the PRC and Taiwan. That policy ended with 
     the Taiwan Relations Act passed under President Carter in 
     April 1979. Taiwan and China are getting along now better 
     than they have since 1949. It is important to recognize that 
     when the President receives Chinese vice-premier Zou Jia hua 
     in the Oval office at the White House that he should also 
     treat with dignity and respect the democratically elected 
     president of Taiwan. Dr. Lee, a Ph.D. from Cornell 
     University, and a devout Christian, demonstrates the best in 
     family values as well. Humiliating him will only set back 
     American policy, both in China and on Taiwan.

  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the entire statement by 
Ambassador Lilley be printed in the Record, as well as an article from 
the New York Times joining this chorus. And I would note that the New 
York Times correctly points out that, ``Taiwan is too important a 
factor in East Asian politics, economics and security to be left out of 
the new post-cold-war order now taking shape.''
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                       Who Is ``Kow-Towing'' Now?

                      (By Ambassador James Lilley)

       President Lee Teng-hui, the democratically elected leader 
     of 21 million Chinese on Taiwan sat in his plane, on the 
     tarmac in Hawaii for two hours while it was being refueled. 
     He was enroute to celebrate democracy on two continents. But 
     in Hawaii he saw no U.S. official, and he met no state 
     official. He was treated this way because the Chinese 
     protested his presence in the United States. Simply speaking: 
     Washington caved-in to pressure from Beijing. In contrast to 
     the U.S.'s mishandling of Lee, passing through Singapore on 
     his way back from his triumphant trip for democracy, he was 
     met with honor at the airport by Singapore Prime Minister Goh 
     Chok Tong.
       President Lee had left Taiwan on May 4th, on the 
     anniversary of the May 4, 1919 movement in China--a 
     democratic protest in Tiananmen Square against foreign 
     imperialism and oppressive government. President Lee first 
     travelled to Costa Rica, the longest running democracy in 
     Central America, where he participated as a distinguished 
     guest in the inauguration of the President. He then visited 
     Nicaragua where he blessed the return of democracy to that 
     beleaguered country. Most important, Lee Teng-hui attended 
     the epic inauguration of Nelson Mandela in South Africa which 
     marked the rise of democracy and freedom after centuries of 
     apartheid and semi-colonialism. During his visits, everywhere 
     except in the United States, he was treated honorably and 
     respectfully.
       Earlier this year, President Lee Teng-hui had visited 
     Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, all countries 
     living in the shadow of the power of China. In each instance, 
     he met the heads of state; the King in Thailand, President 
     Suharto in Indonesia, and President Ramos in the Philippines. 
     It was Lee's vacation diplomacy with a high level flourish. 
     And though China protested, the leaders of the Southeast 
     Asian nations all stood tall.
       The Clinton Administration, has had a narrow and 
     belligerent focus on human rights in China and has also 
     insulted Taiwan in the process. This has begun to unravel the 
     carefully constructed parallel approach to China and Taiwan 
     carried out by five U.S. administrations--Nixon, Ford, 
     Carter, Reagan, and Bush. In those administrations, the U.S. 
     advanced American interests in China by increasing trade, 
     promoting human rights, checking weapons proliferation and 
     gaining China's cooperation on key international issues such 
     as Desert Storm, Cambodia, and North Korea. At the same time, 
     Taiwan visitors were treated with respect, defensive arms 
     were sold to Taiwan and democracy and prosperity came to the 
     people of China and Taiwan. Clinton has now begun to reverse 
     his flawed policy in China, but his Taiwan policy is mired in 
     the past.
       Previously, with this enlightened continuity in U.S. 
     policy, Taiwan and China had begun to work-out their own 
     problems. Led by Lee Teng-hui's bold policies of 
     rapprochement, trade and investment flowed across the strait 
     from Taiwan to China, living standards were raised on the 
     mainland, high quality products were produced, relatives were 
     reunited, and athletic, cultural and academic relations 
     expanded. Taiwan's economic miracle-makers advised China on 
     macro-economic policies. President Lee has, by these moves, 
     done more to help the people of China than half of the 
     central leaders in Beijing.
       But President Lee has problems, democracy on Taiwan has 
     released voices which advocate extreme solutions; 
     independence from China, and greater confrontation with 
     China. Lee Teng-hui, as a moderate, has managed these 
     challenges well, but when his government is humiliated and 
     downgraded, opposition voices grow louder and gain strength. 
     In addition, President Lee is taking-on a major industrial 
     build-up. Taiwan is a huge market for American exports, 
     double that of the PRC and some major billion-dollar sales 
     are now coming-up for decision. Mishandling Taiwan's 
     leadership is no way to win sales, especially when our 
     European counterparts are doing a much better job courting 
     Taiwan.
       If the Clinton administration is serious about the 
     enlargement of democracy and human rights why not start with 
     Taiwan where outstanding progress has been made in the short 
     period of ten years. I was in Taiwan as the head of a mission 
     from 1982-1984 and was also there as a young officer in 1952. 
     I my personal experience, which included a long trip around 
     Taiwan with Governor Lee Teng-hui, democracy in Taiwan has 
     made substantial progress, as rapidly as any other country in 
     Asia. Despite this, China will try to use the United States 
     to pressure Taiwan into compliance with China's goals on 
     unification. We should not be susceptible to this kind of 
     pressure and we do not need to be. President Bush sent 
     cabinet-level official Carla Hills to Taiwan, welcomed 
     Taiwan's ministers to Washington, sold defensive weapons to 
     match the PRC's military build-up, and at the same time, 
     gradually restored U.S. relations with China while achieving 
     real progress on human rights and market-opening. The current 
     administration should not be engaged in a zero-sum game 
     between the PRC and Taiwan. That policy ended with the Taiwan 
     Relations Act passed under President Carter in April 1979. 
     Taiwan and China are getting along now better than they have 
     since 1949. It is important to recognize that when the 
     President receives Chinese vice-premier Zou Jia hua in the 
     oval office at the White House that he should also treat with 
     dignity and respect the democratically elected president of 
     Taiwan. Dr. Lee, a Ph.D. from Cornell University, and a 
     devout Christian, demonstrates the best in family values as 
     well. Humiliating him will only set back American policy, 
     both in China and on Taiwan.
                                  ____


                [From the New York Times, July 17, 1994]

                          Look Again at Taiwan

       If buying $8 billion worth of American products entitles 
     China to flout President Clinton's human rights requirements 
     and still win renewal of its trade privileges, buying twice 
     that amount should entitle Taiwan to a little diplomatic 
     respect.
       Taiwan has one of Asia's most developed economies, best 
     armed militaries and most vibrant democracies. Yet Taiwan's 
     President is not allowed to stay overnight on American soil, 
     Taiwanese officials are not allowed to meet their U.S. 
     counterparts in government buildings and Taiwan's diplomatic 
     offices in this country cannot use any name that would 
     identify the country they represent.
       This charade reflects the long-held position of both Taipei 
     and Beijing that there is only one China and that it includes 
     both the mainland and Taiwan. Washington abided by this 
     fiction both before and after it switched U.S. recognition 
     from Nationalist Taiwan to the Communist mainland in 1979.
       But in reality two distinct societies, economies and 
     political systems have grown up on either side of the Taiwan 
     Straits. And despite its official ``one China policy,'' 
     Taipei now seeks diplomatic recognition as a separate 
     political entity.
       That has prompted the Clinton Administration to undertake a 
     cautious review of U.S. policy. The resulting recommendations 
     await White House approval. They would ease some of the more 
     humiliating diplomatic restrictions now in force. Cabinet-
     level visits in both directions would be permitted. Meetings 
     could take place on official premises. Taiwan's unofficial 
     representative offices could be renamed. These are useful 
     steps, meant to make it easier for Americans to do business 
     with the country's fifth-largest trading partner.
       But recognizing reality should not stop there. Taiwan is 
     too important a factor in East Asian politics, economics and 
     security to be left out of the new post-cold war order now 
     taking shape. It belongs in the new World Trade Organization. 
     It ought to be included in the Asean Regional Forum on 
     security being launched in Bangkok later this month. And 
     ideally, it should be admitted to the U.N.
       The main obstacle to Taiwan's inclusion in such 
     organizations is the bellicose opposition of mainland China, 
     which openly asserts the right to invade and annex Taiwan if 
     the Government there acts too independently. Beijing claims 
     that its relations with Taiwan are an internal matter to be 
     resolved by the two sides alone without outside involvement.
       It is not in America's interest to provoke China on this 
     score. But shutting Taiwan out of international forums also 
     carries risks for the U.S. Under present arrangements, if 
     China made good on its threats to attack, other Asian 
     countries would look the other way while the United States, 
     alone, would find itself caught in the middle of the fray.
       Last year, Washington helped arrange a compromise formula 
     that let Taiwan participate in the Asia-Pacific economic 
     summit meetings in Seattle. Now it should begin exploring 
     ways to involve Taiwan in the new regional security forum as 
     well.

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Finally, Madam President, I would refer my colleagues 
to a formal interview with President Lee which was conducted this 
spring by a leading Japanese publication, Asahi Weekly. I ask unanimous 
consent that it be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                 [From Asahi Weekly, May 6 to 13, 1994]

                  The Grief of Being Born a Taiwanese

   (Dialogue Between President Lee Teng-hui and Writer Ryotaro Shiba)

       Lee Teng-hui, President of Taiwan: Born in 1923. Studied at 
     Taipei High School (under the old education system) and Kyoto 
     Imperial University and later, after the war, graduated from 
     Taiwan University. Also studied in the United States (Ph.D. 
     in agricultural economics, Cornell University, 1968). Assumed 
     the office of Vice President of Taiwan in 1984. In 1988 
     became President of Taiwan following the death of Chiang 
     Ching-kuo. Lee Teng-hui is a devout Christian.
       Ryotaro Shiba, a writer: Born in 1923. Graduated from Osaka 
     Foreign Language School, with a major in Mongolian language. 
     ``Travel Notes from Taiwan'' was made possible by the 
     encouragement of his former classmate and friend Chen Shun 
     Chen.
       At the conclusion of his book, ``Travel Notes from 
     Taiwan,'' Mr. Ryotaro Shiba wrote the following phrase: ``the 
     rain in my heart falls endlessly.'' The travel notes provoked 
     a strong response from many readers, and it appeared the 
     author Mr. Shiba still had left things unsaid that he wanted 
     to express. Thanks to the help of many people, this special 
     interview was arranged at the President's Official Residence 
     in Taipei City. President Lee Teng-hui appeared alone and 
     announced, ``Mr. Shiba, I have a lot of things to discuss 
     with you.'' The entire interview was conducted in Japanese.


                   author's preface by ryotaro shiba

       ``You are really carried away by Taiwan, aren't you?'' Mr. 
     Fumio Anabuki, the editor-in-chief, said to me with a sense 
     of amusement. As an individual sensitive to pain, or with a 
     feeling of sympathy, I am anxious about the future of Taiwan. 
     (Of course, I am more concerned about Japan, but I believe 
     that someday Japan's politics can recover from its 
     exhaustion.)
       Taiwan since the 17th century, with the exception of its 
     indigenous people, has been a land without a sovereign, 
     populated by a group of ``boat people.'' It was just like the 
     Japanese islands before the time of Christ, which served as a 
     land for Asian boat people. For 50 years after 1895, Taiwan 
     was under Japanese rule. According to Mr. Tadao Umesao, Japan 
     was a ``multiracial nation'' during this period. We almost 
     forgot that, until the secession of Taiwan in 1945, those 
     Taiwanese who were born and educated in Taiwan were really 
     Japanese. Even Chiu Yong-han, who is very critical of modern 
     Japan, refers to these 50 years in Taiwan history as a period 
     ``without which, Taiwan island would have been the same as 
     nearby Hainan island.''
       After the separation from Japan, Taiwan was taken over by 
     ``the Republic of China.'' To our surprise, the Taiwanese 
     were severely oppressed. Before long, a humanitarian 
     organization headquartered in London designated the more than 
     10 million Taiwanese as an ``ethnic minority'' who were 
     discriminated against and oppressed because of their ethnic 
     origin. Although they were Chinese in origin, the 50-year 
     period of Japanese rule transformed them into an ethnic group 
     different from other Chinese, so different that they became 
     the victims of Chinese oppressors.
       ``I want to make this a country where people can sleep at 
     night in peace,'' said Dr. Lee Teng-hui, the first Taiwanese 
     to be head of state. His wish has not changed.
       For a period after the war, people were afraid of attack by 
     their own state. That period is over. The era of the Chiang 
     family came to an end and, to everybody's surprise, Dr. Lee 
     Teng-hui took office as president.
       It was almost a miracle that during this transition period, 
     there were no bullets nor intrigues. As freely as shoppers in 
     a department store move from one sales area to another, Lee 
     Teng-hui as the vice president, with the death of Chiang 
     Ching-kuo, assumed the presidency in conformity with the 
     Constitution. That was in January 1988, only six years ago. 
     If Clio (the goddess of history in Greek mythology) smiles 
     only once on each country, this was Taiwan's time.
       Previously, President Lee aspired to enter the ministry 
     ``to go to mountainous regions to preach the gospel.'' Things 
     did not turn out that way.
       Fortunately, Taiwan has a sophisticated head of state who 
     has little desire for fame and wealth. Some wondered whether 
     such a person could manage politics in a world in which 
     mainlanders, outsiders from continental China, were granted 
     special rights and privileges, and held control over 
     Islanders. However, as Lee Teng-hui demonstrated his 
     political management skills, such concerns disappeared.
       This interview is intended as a supplement to ``Travel 
     Notes from Taiwan.'' I particularly want to see it read by 
     mainland Chinese.


         a civilized country born of an island without a ruler

       Shiba. This year at the banquet for my school reunion, I 
     chatted about my trip to Taiwan with instructors of the 
     Chinese, Russian, and German languages. My conclusion was 
     that ``Taiwan is a civilized country.''
       Taiwan has a lot of advanced technologies, of course, but 
     they alone do not represent what I would call a civilization. 
     Let me cite an age old metaphor. Every morning at 5, you find 
     your milk in your milk box. You do not need to buy a cow and 
     milk it every time you need milk. Without being killed by 
     guerrillas on the way, a milkman can deliver milk safely. You 
     can get a newspaper in the morning without any problem and 
     can read information from all over the world. This is what I 
     call ``civilization.''
       Such a thing exists in Taiwan and is being further 
     developed. But if France is considered a mature country, like 
     a 100-something-year old person, then democratic Taiwan is 
     still a baby country, like a five- or six-year old child. 
     Compared to Mr. Mitterand, I suspect, you, Mr. Lee Teng-hui, 
     should be enjoying more and at the same time suffering more 
     because you were born in Taiwan.
       Lee. When I asked my wife what topic I should be talking 
     about with Mr. Shiba, she told me to talk about ``the grief 
     of being born a Taiwanese.'' We then talked about ``the 
     Exodus'' of the Old Testament.
       Shiba. It is God who decides where we will be born. Today I 
     would like to talk with the president about the ``suffering 
     caused by location.'' For instance, it would be very hard to 
     be born in Bosnia today. However, I believe that human 
     dignity can be found in the efforts made by those who are 
     born in Bosnia to improve the situation.
       Lee. Yet there is also the pain of not being able to do 
     anything for Bosnia. There used to be the grief of being born 
     a Taiwanese and not being able to do anything for Taiwan.
       Shiba. By the way, the island of Taiwan was once considered 
     to belong to no one.
       I believe that colonizing other countries is a really 
     absurd thing to do. In Meiji 7 [1874] there was an incident 
     in which an Okinawan was killed on the east coast of Taiwan. 
     The Meiji government wondered which country owned Taiwan. 
     Boisonard, a French attorney who was working for the Japanese 
     government, reported that the island of Taiwan belonged to no 
     one. Long before this, an American diplomat, Townsend Harris, 
     visited Taiwan and wrote a letter to the president of the 
     United States. He stated that no one owned its eastern half 
     and therefore the United States should make it an American 
     territory.
       Lee. After being defeated by the Japanese in the Sino-
     Japanese War, the first thing China under Li Hong Zhang ceded 
     to Japan was Taiwan. For the Chinese, Taiwan was considered a 
     barbarous land. If Japan got it, she might even have trouble 
     controlling it. Such was the prevailing attitude.
       Shiba. At that time the Japanese government notified the 
     inhabitants that those who were not content could move out. 
     For Japan, at a time of violence in her history, it was a 
     relatively civil gesture to the residents.
       Lee. Those who wanted to obtain Japanese nationality were 
     told they could stay. Individual property would be recognized 
     as such. Those not satisfied were told to return to the 
     mainland within a year.
       Then came the end of World War II. In accordance with the 
     Declaration of Cairo, all the territories that Japan received 
     from China, including Taiwan, were to be returned to China.
       Shiba. That's curious when you consider that Taiwan was 
     built by people who had come from Fujian and Guangdong in the 
     17th century.
       Lee. I must answer that question cautiously because I am 
     the President of the Republic of China. The Japanese 
     government returned Taiwan to the government of the Republic 
     of China. The government of the Republic of China was 
     defeated in the civil war on the mainland and, therefore, 
     came to Taiwan. It lost everything except Taiwan. The Chinese 
     Communist Party insists that the province of Taiwan is just 
     one of the provinces comprising the People's Republic of 
     China. What a weird fantasy. Taiwan and the mainland have 
     different governments. I can only say this for now.
       Shiba. There is no other word as confusing as the word 
     ``Zhonghua'' [China].
       Lee. The word ``Zhongguo'' [China] is confusing too.
       Shiba. Also the word ``Zhongguoren'' [Chinese] is 
     confusing. When Singapore's leader, Lee Kuan Yew went to 
     Australia, he was reported to have said that ``just as 
     today's Australians do not consider themselves British, we 
     are not Chinese. We are Singaporeans.''
       Germans and Swedes are both of Germanic origin. But when 
     Germans go to Sweden they do not sell goods by saying, ``you 
     and I are both of Germanic origin, aren't we?'' Spanish 
     people do not go to France and claim friendship based on 
     their shared Roman origin. Taiwan is the country for 
     Taiwanese, even though we are Han people.


          beijing's orientalism and the concept of ``public''

       Lee. It must be for Taiwanese. This is the fundamental 
     idea.
       Since the 19th century the notion of sovereignty has been 
     discussed. However, the word sovereignty is a dangerous word. 
     The mainland insists that the People's Republic of China has 
     the right to Taiwan because it succeeded the Republic of 
     China.
       Shiba. Considering the size of the country, the Beijing 
     government has done pretty well. However, the People's 
     Republic of China has not had the experience of being a civil 
     society or governed by rule of law. That is why the Tiananmen 
     Square incident happened. China claims Taiwan as its own. 
     This represents an oriental style of thinking dating back to 
     the 19th century when no distinction was made between a 
     territory and a land of mixed residents.
       Lee. If I have a chance to meet Mr. Jiang Ze Ming, I would 
     like to say to him, ``before you raise the questions of 
     Taiwan policy and national integration, try studying to find 
     out what Taiwan is all about.'' If you are thinking of 
     governing the Taiwanese people in the style you used in the 
     old days, you would see another 2.28 [February 28, 1947] 
     Incident.
       Shiba. It seems that Chinese leaders have not thought, 
     within the context of world history, what Taiwan is all 
     about.
       It does not make sense from the residents' point of view 
     for China to keep Tibet and Inner Mongolia as part of its 
     territory. Mr. Mao Ze Dong's policies for minorities were 
     good as an idea. But in reality, I hear that residents in 
     Inner Mongolia and Tibet are going through a tough time. If 
     that is repeated in Taiwan, it will be a calamity of human 
     history and of world history.
       Lee. It is constantly said that if Taiwan becomes 
     independent, China will attack and crush us.
       Shiba. I hope that the good life led by the people in 
     Taiwan will not be destroyed suddenly by outside forces.
       Lee. If Taiwan declares independence, Beijing should be 
     scared because Tibet or Xinjiang might then act for 
     independence as well.
       Shiba. The Ming dynasty's China was a country purely of Han 
     people. You could find no Xinjiang Uighur autonomous 
     district, no Tibet, no Inner Mongolia in China's territory. 
     It was during the Qing dynasty, the one ruled by a non-Han 
     people, when China expanded to today's territorial stretch.
       The government on the mainland should have asked the will 
     of the residents from the beginning. It should have listened 
     to the Tibetans, the Mongolians, and the Uighurs. Without the 
     strength or the idea to ask the will of these residents, it 
     simply inherited and kept the territory of the Qing dynasty.
       There is an appropriate size for a nation state. It is 
     probably about the size of France, which is about the size of 
     the province of Sichuan. France has created a civilization. 
     It is impossible for one government in Beijing to control a 
     territory larger than all of Europe. It tends to become 
     ruthless and domestically imperialistic.
       Lee. On the mainland now, they are advocating nationalism. 
     It is called the five ethnic groups, and Xinjiangs, 
     Mongolians, and Tibetans are categorized as Chinese. I am 
     concerned that if Beijing tries to create a great Chinese 
     ethnic group or a Great Chinese Empire, Asia can face serious 
     problems.
       Shiba. According to that idea, it would not be 
     contradictory for the Great Chinese Empire to include Japan, 
     which uses Chinese characters, and Thailand and Indonesia, 
     which have a lot of overseas Chinese. By the way, Sung and 
     Ming were representative dynasties ruled by the Han race. 
     Later dynasties were created by people other than Han such as 
     the ancient Tang, Yuan, and Qing dynasties. There were always 
     groups of opposition in the periphery, and when China became 
     corrupt from the inside, the non-Hans took over to create a 
     new dynasty to bring reform. Today there are no opposition 
     groups. Where can we find China's ability to renew itself? If 
     China relies on the Great Chinese Empire, it will definitely 
     collapse by itself.
       In addition, the Chinese do not believe the world belongs 
     to the public. Even those who came after Mao Ze Dong do not 
     have that concept. Every emperor in Chinese history was 
     convinced that the world belonged to himself or herself. Mr. 
     Mao Ze Dong could not have even begun an absurdity such as 
     the Proletarian Great Cultural Revolution without thinking 
     that the world belonged to himself [i.e., the world obeyed 
     his decrees].
       Deng Xiao Ping is trying to establish a socialist market 
     economy, which is a queer combination of two different 
     systems. I think he is a great politician, but the socialism 
     he advocates, after all, seems to imply that China belongs to 
     Mr. Deng Xiao Ping.
       We could say that it is the greatness of the Chinese people 
     that enables them to practice such a contradiction without 
     hesitation. Yet, on the other hand, it shows that Sun Yat-
     sen's idea ``all land under heaven belongs to the public'' 
     has not been well rooted in China.
       By the way, I learned something that really surprised me 
     when talking to young Taiwanese. In the primary and junior 
     high schools, they must memorize the names of all the 
     emperors, starting from the ancient San-Huang-Wu-Di (three 
     emperors and five kings) to the last emperor of the Qing 
     dynasty, Emperor Xuan Tong. They recite them all. I found it 
     meaningless.
       Lee. Today we are increasing the importance of local 
     history education. We are trying to incorporate the history 
     of Taiwan, the geography of Taiwan, and the search of the 
     individual's roots in the curriculum of the elementary 
     schools. What an absurd educational system it was that made 
     students memorize facts regarding the mainland without 
     teaching them about Taiwan.


                   taiwanese language and shakespeare

       Shiba. We could not make such a statement in Taiwan five 
     years ago. Taiwan has really been transformed into a new 
     country.
       Lee. It was even difficult to speak Taiwanese. When my son 
     was in school, a student would be punished for speaking 
     Taiwanese, just like when people were punished for speaking 
     Taiwanese during Japanese rule. Only Chinese was allowed to 
     be spoken.
       Now I take the lead in speaking Taiwanese. It is necessary 
     to do so. When I traveled during the election campaign, I 
     always spoke in Taiwanese.
       Shiba. You mean in Minnan [Southern Fukienese, Taiwan's 
     local language]?
       Lee. Yes. That is what the Taiwanese want to hear. For 
     instance, if you go to Yunlin prefecture, the people there 
     have their own local dialect. If you make a speech in their 
     own dialect, everyone can understand. Try speaking in 
     Chinese, it is Greek to them. But if you speak in Taiwanese 
     they believe you are a person who is close to them.
       Shiba. More than 70 percent of English words are actually 
     of French origin. But it is said that poetry using too many 
     French words sounds affected. On the other hand, if you write 
     a poem using only the ancient original English, it can be 
     very moving.
       Lee. Just like Shakespeare.
       Shiba. In Japan, for instance, the dormitory song for the 
     Third High School in Kyoto, ``Red Flowers in the Bud,'' was 
     written in the Yamato language [native style Japanese] 
     whereas the song for the First High School, ``Oh, the Jewel 
     Sake Cup with a Flower Leaf,'' was written in the Chinese 
     classical style of Japanese. Some say it is the ``Red Flowers 
     in the Bud'' that appeals to them more and is harder to 
     forget. For Taiwanese people, the Taiwanese language is just 
     like the Yamato language and thus appeals to people's 
     feelings.
       Lee. Taiwan has always been ruled by power that came from 
     abroad. Today I say this kind of thing without hesitation. 
     Even the Nationalists are a foreign power. They are nothing 
     more than a political party that came to rule the Taiwanese. 
     We must make this a Taiwanese Nationalist Party. Once there 
     was a time when we, my generation who are in our seventies, 
     could not sleep well at night. I do not want my descendants 
     to face the same situation.
       Shiba. Mr. Lee Teng-hui, your nationality changed from 
     Japanese to Chinese [a national of the Republic of China] at 
     the age of 22.
       In those days, I heard, intellectuals could not sleep at 
     night in peace. Military policemen made raids. You heard them 
     banging the door. If you wondered who they were, you were too 
     late. You just had to run away immediately. Even with all 
     these hardships, Taiwan has finally achieved a high standard 
     of freedom and a system governed by law that, to our delight, 
     is unprecedented in the history of the Han people.
       Lee. Mainlanders are also Han people. It is just a matter 
     of who came to Taiwan earlier. We should work together. There 
     is no need for Taiwanese to reject these people, but this is 
     difficult. For instance, this issue is related to the 
     question of why the previous head of the Executive Yuan had 
     to be replaced.
       Shiba. You are talking about Mr. Hau Pei-tsun [the former 
     premier]. He is an old fox of a politician who was previously 
     in the military. He seems to have always been a tough bird to 
     cook. I was always nervous watching someone like you, someone 
     who is almost like a clergyman. I wanted to keep that kind of 
     man away from the world of power. But, in your case, it has 
     worked.
       Lee. I still have two years and three months in my term of 
     office. I aspire to build a nation state and a society for 
     ``the public.''
       When I spoke to the minister of transportation, he told me 
     that the expansion work of Chung-cheng International Airport 
     was not progressing satisfactorily. If we proceed with the 
     second phase of construction, we may face the same sorts of 
     problems as Narita Airport. There is the noise pollution 
     problem, and opposition from the residents in the 
     neighborhood is increasing. What should we do?
       In Taiwan today, people are very enthusiastic about 
     community activities. I want to see the residents, who have 
     been oppressed for a long time, participate in building the 
     country and the society voluntarily. To do that, people 
     should talk about the various problems of daily life in their 
     communities: about homes, about women's participation in the 
     society. They also cooperate to prevent burglary in the 
     neighborhood.
       As for the airport issue, I have had several discussions 
     with local residents. There are two villages surrounding the 
     airport. The urban planning of the villages has to be redrawn 
     and the interior of the airport has to be redesigned. We will 
     let the local residents decide on the issues ranging from 
     airport cleaning and luggage handling to the restaurant 
     operations. The important thing is that the airport belongs 
     to the people.
       Amending the constitution, democratic reform and holding a 
     popular and direct presidential election will satisfy the 
     Taiwanese. If these things are realized, then Taiwan's major 
     political problems are over.
       There are three problems concerning Taiwan that are 
     bothering Beijing's political leaders. First is the 
     democratization of Taiwan. If we rigorously pursue 
     democratization, it will become impossible to govern the 
     country through talks between the leaders of the Nationalist 
     and the Communist Parties. It will become impossible to 
     ignore the people at large on both sides. There are shameless 
     people who write to Deng Xiao Ping asking him to use the 
     military against Taiwan.


        astonishing the world by the countries i choose to visit

       Shiba. I often heard that a country is marketable just like 
     a commodity, which can be bought and sold. Things are not 
     easy for Taiwan, are they?
       Lee. My foreign policy is the second issue. Not only have I 
     been to three countries in Southeast Asia, I am going to 
     visit more countries, even countries that the world will be 
     totally surprised to see me visit. But I will save Japan and 
     the United States for last.
       Although I am the head of state now, I was originally an 
     economist and agricultural expert. I can provide financial 
     aid, but I can also hold a discussion. For example, both 
     President Ramos of the Philippines and President Suharto of 
     Indonesia are having the most difficult times on rural 
     issues. I am a professional in dealing with agricultural 
     issues. No one in Taiwan can talk about pork better than I. 
     [Laughter] Therefore, I can talk to them not as President Lee 
     but as Dr. lee. Titles do not matter. Through such pragmatic 
     diplomacy, we can promote in a natural manner international 
     understanding of Taiwan's role.
       A third issue. Previously we used to advocate ``the large 
     army principle,'' which depended solely on tanks. Recently we 
     purchased quite a few fighter helicopters and fighter planes. 
     Because our air force capability has been greatly 
     strengthened, Taiwan's air force will not have to worry for 
     another 30 years. The Chinese Communist Party is distressed 
     by this structural change of our military strategy.
       Shiba. Tanks are old fashioned, particularly to protect 
     such a rice paddy country as Taiwan, unsettling as it may 
     sound.
       Lee. We hold a military meeting once every two weeks. Some 
     professionals were amazed and said, ``How can President Lee 
     Teng-hui learn military issues and knowledge so quickly.'' 
     They even call me a military genius. [Laughter]
       Shiba. What kind of books do you like to read in your spare 
     time?
       Lee. Recently I ordered from Iwanami [publisher] a series 
     of books call ``The Methods of Social Sciences.'' I always 
     think about whether the work I am pursuing now is 
     theoretically sound and historically significant. It is 
     biology that I really want to study. I would like to audit a 
     class at Taiwan University. I am also interested in further 
     study of philosophy and history.
       When I retire, I am not going to be dependent on the 
     government. I will live in my own house because I have some 
     money saved and because my wife brought a dowry.


                   before succeeding chiang ching-kuo

       Shiba. You still have not spent it all? [Laughter]
       Lee. Because my wife received a Japanese education, she is 
     good at managing household accounts so I can relax and 
     concentrate on my work.
       [Editorial staff member]: Are you saying that the Japanese 
     education was actually useful?
       Lee. What the Japanese left in Taiwan at the end of the 
     colonial era was enormous. In addition to criticizing it, we 
     also have to analyze it from a more scientific viewpoint to 
     understand our history better.
       [Editorial staff member]: Was it by chance that someone 
     like Mr. Lee Teng-hui entered the stage?
       Shiba. It was Chiang Ching-kuo who took advantage of a 
     chance.
       Lee. I was called to participate when there were serious 
     agricultural problems. I was a man who thought only about 
     Japan's academic and agricultural issues; I guess I appeared 
     to be uninterested in political affairs.
       Shiba. Mr. Chiang Ching-kuo is someone I did not understand 
     too well, but it seemed definite that, at last, he thought of 
     installing Mr. Lee Ten-huo as vice president.
       Lee. For three years and nine months he was the president 
     and I was the vice president. I saw him once or twice a week 
     and, later, when he became sick, there were times when I only 
     saw him once a month. I have a notebook in which I recorded 
     our conversations. I couldn't possibly make it public yet. 
     Still, it is not clear whether Chiang Ching-kuo wanted me to 
     succeed him.
       Shiba. I see.
       Lee. Although he suffered from a severe illness, he did not 
     believe that the end was coming, therefore, he did not leave 
     last words like a dying parent would leave for a son.
       Shiba. It was ambiguous.
       Lee. It was ambiguous. However, in that kind of political 
     situation, if Mr. Chiang Ching-kuo had given even the 
     slightest indication, I would have been destroyed. Even I am 
     not going to mention whom I will pick for the next president. 
     I will not even mention whether I will run for election. Mr. 
     Chiang Ching-kuo, too, had such consideration, I believe.
       Shiba. It is amazing how you have developed political know-
     how, having been a scholar previously. Not only being a 
     statesman, but also dealing with those political matters that 
     are not straightforward.
       Lee. I have been perceptive since my childhood. I have 
     always thought about how to restrain my sensitivity. You know 
     that saying, ``Spongers ask for the third bowl of rice 
     quietly.''
       Shiba. This is a story from the time of the Cultural 
     Revolution on mainland China. Bellboys at the Beijing Hotel 
     were divided into two groups and started to fight against 
     each other by occupying the staircase or corridors. Then came 
     Mr. Zhou Enlai. Because China is not a country governed by 
     law, strange things can happen. The Premier of the country 
     came to solve the dispute between two fighting parties in a 
     hotel. Mr. Zhou Enlai listened to what they had to say and 
     then told them that both sides made sense. Then he said there 
     was one thing in which they were both wrong. They asked, 
     ``What is it?'' ``The guests have not been served their 
     dinners yet.'' Seeking a solution after pleasing both 
     contenders--this is what politics is about.


                the exodus and the fate of the taiwanese

       Lee. Even without guns, without clenched fists, without any 
     supportive group in the Nationalist Party, I believe the 
     reason I have been able to come so far is because the voices 
     of the people are in my heart. The people of Taiwan look to 
     me with expectation. Thus I feel I have to produce results.
       Shiba. Political scientists should choose Mr. Lee Teng-hui 
     as an academic theme. In other words, just as you, Mr. Lee 
     Teng-hui, have said, you have no faction in the party, nor 
     money to offer. There is nothing else but Mr. Lee Teng-hui. 
     Political scientists, however, say that politics cannot be 
     practiced by theories alone because it is so dirty. If you 
     leave a good record after another two and half years, you 
     will be seen as a new model for political science in the 
     world. You are a rare case.
       [Editorial staff member]: At the beginning of this 
     interview, you mentioned ``the Exodus.'' Were you trying to 
     say that Taiwan has started a new era?
       Lee. Yes, we have. From now on, Moses and the people are 
     going to face a tough time. However, they did start a new 
     journey. Yes, when I think about the 2.28 incident in which 
     many Taiwanese became victims, ``the Exodus'' is one 
     conclusion.
       Shiba. There was something I was thinking about while 
     writing the ``Travel Notes from Taiwan.'' In the last days of 
     the Shogunate era, there was a chief retainer for the feudal 
     clan of Nagaoka in Echigo called Tsugunosuke Kawai. It was a 
     small clan whose taxes amounted to only 70,000 bushels of 
     rice a year. Kawai searched for a way to revitalize the 
     fiefdom for a new era. He traveled throughout Japan in search 
     of a master. He finally found Hokoku Yamada, a former chief 
     retainer, who was retiring from the world in the deep 
     mountains in Okayama prefecture; he asked for instruction for 
     a couple of months. When he was leaving for Nagaoka, he 
     praised the master by saying, ``you can become a head clerk 
     of Mitsui.'' The praised one [the master] was happy to hear 
     that. In other words, in the very end of the Edo period in 
     the mountains of Okayama, the master and his disciples had 
     discussed the fact that the Samurai era was over and the 
     bourgeoisie era was coming. After Kawai returned, he tried to 
     reform the feudal clan's Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. He tried 
     not to take part either on the Tokugawa side nor for Satsuma 
     or Choshu; he pursued armed independence. But he was pushed 
     away by the violent flow of history--a great loss in Japanese 
     history.
       Although, in those days, Keinosuke Kawai was almost the 
     only person (there is another person, Ryoma Sakamoto) who had 
     an idea of a blueprint for a new nation state, history has 
     forgotten about him. I always write with the hope that 
     Taiwan's fate will be different and that it will become a 
     model state for human beings.

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. This interview, entitled ``The Grief of Being Born a 
Taiwanese,'' sheds light on positive new directions taken by the people 
of the Government of Taiwan.
  I urge the administration to move to take positive steps as well in 
its policy review.
  I personally discussed this matter with Secretary Christopher, who 
told me at a recent hearing that, while he could not foreshadow the 
results of the policy review, he said that he thought there would be 
adjustments in the direction I want to see.
  Well, I would hope so, since it has been a year in coming out. Let us 
get it out now.
  I thank the Chair and I wish her a good day.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. GRAMM. Madam President, under the previous order I had 10 minutes 
and I ask unanimous consent, notwithstanding the previous order, to 
speak for 10 minutes in morning business. I see neither the chairman or 
ranking member is here.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The 
Senator from Texas is recognized.

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