Taiwan scholar urges peace pact before reunification talks
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago1 MIN
Summary
A Taiwanese scholar has called for Beijing and Taipei to sign a formal peace agreement before moving to discussions on political arrangements after reunification. Speaking at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, he said trust-building before reunification matters more to many in Taiwan than debating “one country, two systems”.
Key Points
- Chang Ya-chung, head of the Taiwan-based Sun Yat-sen School advocacy group, made the remarks at the Xiangshan Forum, Beijing’s leading security platform.
- Chang said “one country, two systems”, used in Hong Kong and Macau, has so far failed to resonate in Taiwanese society.
- On the forum sidelines, he said Taiwanese concerns were natural if reunification meant the stronger side proposed terms for the weaker side to accept.
- At a panel discussion on Wednesday, Chang said people in Taiwan cared more about moving from current hostility to peace before reunification.
- Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said August polling showed more than 80 per cent of Taiwanese reject “one country, two systems”.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the comments are notable because they directly reference the “one country, two systems” model already applied in Hong Kong and Macau, while underscoring its lack of public appeal in Taiwan. They also show that current cross-strait debate is focusing not only on any end-state arrangement, but on whether a prior peace framework is needed to build trust first.