Taiwan's Ma renews truce call with China
Monday, August 25, 2008
TAIWAN President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday renewed pledges to promote peace with China on the 50th anniversary of a battle between the rivals.
"We cannot change the history of the '823 bombardment' but we can create a peaceful future so the sacrifices of the soldiers and civilians are worthwhile," Ma said while visiting the former battle ground of Kinmen.
Kinmen, a Taiwan-controlled fortified island group just kilometres (miles) off China's southeastern Xiamen port, is a constant reminder of lingering hostility between the two sides, which split in 1949 after a civil war.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army of Mao Zedong fired more than 470,000 shells on the tiny Kinmen and several other islets in a 44-day artillery bombardment beginning on August 23, 1958.
A total of 618 servicemen and civilians were killed and 2,610 wounded in the so-called "823 bombardment."
"There is no winner in a war which only causes regrets and we cannot let people in both sides of the Strait have the same regrets ... both sides paid terrible prices to learn the lesson," Ma said.
He urged Taipei and Bejing to expand their exchanges and cooperation in all areas to resolve the hostility and pave the way for an eventual peace accord.
"The cross-strait rapprochement (since the Kuomintang took office) has laid a foundation for peace and the two sides will further their cooperation on this basis," he said.
Ma of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang was elected in March on a platform to boost economy and improve the country's relations with China.
There have been rapid changes since he took office in May, as the two sides resumed dialogues and launched regular direct flights for the first time in nearly six decades, last month.
His government has also allowed more Chinese tourists to visit the island and relaxed controls on China-bound investments, issues which had been shunned by the former government of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.AFP
"We cannot change the history of the '823 bombardment' but we can create a peaceful future so the sacrifices of the soldiers and civilians are worthwhile," Ma said while visiting the former battle ground of Kinmen.
Kinmen, a Taiwan-controlled fortified island group just kilometres (miles) off China's southeastern Xiamen port, is a constant reminder of lingering hostility between the two sides, which split in 1949 after a civil war.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army of Mao Zedong fired more than 470,000 shells on the tiny Kinmen and several other islets in a 44-day artillery bombardment beginning on August 23, 1958.
A total of 618 servicemen and civilians were killed and 2,610 wounded in the so-called "823 bombardment."
"There is no winner in a war which only causes regrets and we cannot let people in both sides of the Strait have the same regrets ... both sides paid terrible prices to learn the lesson," Ma said.
He urged Taipei and Bejing to expand their exchanges and cooperation in all areas to resolve the hostility and pave the way for an eventual peace accord.
"The cross-strait rapprochement (since the Kuomintang took office) has laid a foundation for peace and the two sides will further their cooperation on this basis," he said.
Ma of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang was elected in March on a platform to boost economy and improve the country's relations with China.
There have been rapid changes since he took office in May, as the two sides resumed dialogues and launched regular direct flights for the first time in nearly six decades, last month.
His government has also allowed more Chinese tourists to visit the island and relaxed controls on China-bound investments, issues which had been shunned by the former government of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party.AFP
Business Besides Oil
