Chapter 13     Presidential Election

Thousand Island Lake Incident

       On March 31, 1994, an incident occurred whereas a group of Taiwanese tourists have been mass murdered in Thousand Island Lake of Hanchou.  It became a severe test to the effectiveness of coordination between “Straits Exchange Foundation” (SEF) and “Association for Relation Across Taiwan Straits” (ARATS).  When 24 tourists from Taiwan were sightseeing the lake, riding on the pleasure boat “Hai Roe”, they had been burned to death in the cabin, together with 8 other crew and local tour guides.  In the beginning, the Chinese police announced that it was an “unlooked-for accident”, but because the travel agents were strictly forbidden to inspect the scene and take picture, it aroused suspicion of the Taiwanese concerned.  Later, the police authority announced again that the victims were all lying at the bottom layer of three-layer hold, their busts were burned to the waist and carbonized, but had no injury from the waist down.  Being unnatural for a fire accident, and because no one escaped including the crew, the suspicion was increased.  On April 3, the victims’ families and related personnel who rushed to the scene were closely watched, and were refused to transport the remains home.  Moreover, because there were bullet marks all over the hull, bereaved families concluded that the victims were killed before their bodies were burned by a flame gun, and believed that the Chinese authority intentionally concealed the facts.

      The Chinese authority was not only afraid the truth would be known to the public and exerted every effort to interfere the press from gathering information, but also worried that the investigation would reveal the cause of death.  Therefore, they did not allow the “Straits Exchange Foundation” personnel to go to the scene to help the victims’ families clear up the matter, and even refused to see the representative from “SEF”.  From the fact that there was “no means for appeal”, it is doubtful that the talks between Taiwan’s “SEF” and China’s “ARATS” could have any progress.

       After the tragedy of “Thousand Island Lake incident”, Taiwanese felt righteously indignant with the barbarity of Chinese people and the disservice of Chinese government, and the whole country exploded in anger.  Kuomintang authority decided to suspend the cultural and educational exchanges with the other side of the Straits, and took intensive measures to restrict tour and economic activities in China.  President Lee Teng-hui gave vent to his anger and accused China that their handling of the “Tragic case of Thousand Island Lake” was just like “bandits”.  His comment had drawn the politicians’ attention at home and abroad.  A large part of the Taiwanese public had requested the government to draw the line with Chinese Communist, and even immediately declare “Taiwan independence”.  Taiwanese Legislators had appealed to President Lee Teng-hui not only to formally charge against China at International Human Rights Commission in Geneva, for ignoring and violating the human rights of the Taiwanese people, but also to declare Taiwan independence, to express the strongest protest against China.

 “Mainland Fever” Cooling Off       

       Ever since November 1987, when the ban for traveling to China was lifted, Chinese Mainland aroused enthusiasm of the Taiwanese people: groups after groups have gone to the Mainland for visiting their relatives, sightseeing, and business.  Up until March 1994, Taiwanese businessmen had invested in the Mainland over 10 billion U.S. dollars, and civilians’ touring activities in the Mainland were perpetual and never stopped.  Only in the year 1993, the total Taiwanese tourists to the Mainland amounted to as high as 1.8 million.

       When Taiwan opened the door for visiting relatives in the Mainland, the old aged veterans were the first to return to the Mainland.  These old aged veterans followed Chiang Kai-sek to Taiwan when they were young, and now forty years had passed.  These men were highly nostalgic; many of them sold their assets in Taiwan before going back to their old home in the Mainland.  When they returned to their old home, they often put on a vain show and spend money extravagantly, but were rewarded with jealousy and indifference from the local people.  Majority of the old veterans, who returned the Mainland to visit their folks, after being humiliated and disappointed by them, came back to Taiwan languished, only a very small number remained in the Mainland.

       Beside the old veterans, there were first and second generations of the “People from other provinces” who went back home to visit their relatives.  The first generation of the “People from other provinces” were forced to leave their native places when they were young, came to Taiwan doing business or following Komintang regime to evade war chaos, and broke contact with the Mainland ever since.  Now that they have returned to the hometown that they have been dreaming and worrying about day and night, they discovered the scenes are still there, but the people are no longer the same at all.  They were petrified and felt alienated.  As to the second generation of the “People from other provinces”, though they are born and grown in Taiwan, but they have been told since they were young that their family register belongs to certain place in certain Province of China, and not Taiwan.  To them, the “Family Register” only means where their father came from, however, based on the sentiment that blood is thicker than water, when they arrive at the “hometown”, they discovered that they are alienated just like their father.  Back in Taiwan, he and his father are both sheer “People from other province”; but when they return to the native place in the Mainland, they were both regarded as Taiwanese.

       Traffic between the two sides of the Straits had been continuous and very busy.  Beside the old veterans and the “People from other provinces” who returned to hometowns for a visit, there were also Unification Faction politicians, entertainers, speculative businessmen, and many Taiwanese people who went to sightseeing in the Mainland, attracted by so-called “Beautiful Homeland”.  Accompanied with increase in the national income and the Government’s Mainland open policy, many Taiwanese and their wives caught the China Fever; it had become a fashion for a while.  Because the tourists and businessmen coincide with Chinese Government’s Taiwan policy of absorbing Taiwanese capitals, Chinese authority specially relaxed various controls and granted many privileges.  In addition, because the Mainland is economically behind, prices and labor are cheap; Taiwanese tourists were like a stampede of flock.

       However, following rapid increase of Taiwanese going to the Mainland, some privileges and means of convenience had gradually been cancelled.  Long before the occurrence of “Thousand Island Lake incident”, there had been cases occasionally heard that the Taiwanese residents, who went to the Mainland for sightseeing or business, were deceived, robbed and murdered by the local villains.  Taiwanese traveled in Chinese inland were looked on as fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered, or object to be raked for.  Perhaps it had something to do with the Taiwanese manner of extravagant spending and rampant arrogance there, but “poor Chinese” ridiculed “rich Taiwanese” as “foolish fellow”, waiting for an opportunity to cheat and rob is the main reason.  If we say that the wrongful tongue and conduct of the Taiwanese caused bad image, and their mishap in China is to blame themselves, it would not be fair.  Actually, in Chinese Mainland, not only in the countryside, but also in the cities, there is no law and order, and the Communist government regards human lives worthless, no wonder there are many who hesitate to go to Chinese Mainland for tour or business, because there is no assurance for their lives and property.

      However, in recent years because Taiwan has experienced serious labor shortage and high wages, many Taiwanese medium and small enterprises have invested and set up manufacturing facilities in China’s coastal areas, using production equipments from Taiwan and cheap labor there to engage in production, to maintain their strength in the international competition.  There are also other manufacturers, who are attracted by the broad mainland market, eradicated their company in Taiwan, and moved to the Mainland, causing the Taiwanese government and the people's concern.  By the end of 1994, according to the information obtained from Mainland Operation Committee (MOC), over 20,000 Taiwanese companies have invested in China Mainland, ranked number one among the countries in the world, and the actual amount of capitals invested ranked number two in the world, only a little less that of Japan.  However, after China enforced the detailed new labor law, applying more limitations to Taiwanese business, including oppressive donations and taxes, demanding reduction of Mainland laborer’s operation hours, and tripled overtime pay, resulted in Taiwanese businessmen’s production costs in the Mainland three to five times higher than that of Taiwan.  The same information also pointed out, up to the present, as high as 70% of the Taiwanese companies, which went to invest and set up factories in the Mainland, were at loss in the past two to three years.  The other Taiwanese companies that have had earnings were forced to reinvest their profits in expansion of their facilities in China, and were unable to collect or remit their earnings home.  Therefore, all Taiwanese businessmen are facing with the crisis of running fool’s errands.                

Formation of Taiwanese Nationalism

      On September 24, 1994, in a seminar held by Taiwanese Professors Association discussing the “Taiwanese Nationalism”, the professors pointed out: In the past four hundred years, the Malaya-Polynesians and the minority Han immigrants have become a collective community, but because the extraneous rulers used political influence to estrange on purpose in order to maintain their profits, the Taiwanese residents were unable to see the reality.  Taiwan experienced serious conflicts between the Fukien and Hakka clans, war between the aborigines and the immigrants, and these collisions between tribal groups and clans made the aborigines, Fukien, Hakka, including the “People from other provinces” that relocated to Taiwan from China after 1945, pay a deep and grievous price.

       Since 1920’s, the national consciousness of “Taiwan belongs to the Taiwanese people” started to awaken; the Taiwanese nationalism has counter measured the extraneous nationalism forced on the Taiwan residents.  The “Japanization Movement” during the Japanese occupation and the “China-centric Thought” of Chiang regime are good example.  By now, the Taiwanese nationalism is not only matured, but also becomes the theory that the Taiwanese people rely on heading for the road to Taiwan independence.

       In the early period, Dan-Wai (Party other than Kuomintang) movement, the independent movement abroad, and Democratic Progressive Party are embodiments of Taiwanese nationalist movement, and Lee Teng-hui’s localization movement of Kuomintang also had the flavor of Taiwanese nationalism to some extent.  The so-called “DPP Sentiment” and “Lee Teng-hui Sentiment”, in fact, are reflections of the Taiwanese people’s desperate sentiments in search of racial (national) recognition.  In his book “The Formation and Development of Taiwan Nationalism” published in 1968, Mr. Su Ming of Independent Taiwan Association points out: For four hundred years, Taiwanese society based on peculiar “mutual tie” of natural and geographic environment, and “mutual destiny” of colonial oppressive social environment, gradually combined as a single peculiar collective unity – Taiwanese.  By 20th century, Taiwan nationality has already been developed in the Island of Taiwan, with its nature completely different from the people in China.

       By middle of 1970’s, because the second generation of the “People from other provinces” in Taiwan joined the Taiwan independent movement, resulted in the development of a new concept: “Regardless of where he was born, when he arrived, if he accepts Taiwan as Homeland, he is a Taiwanese”.  Incidentally, regarding acceptance of Taiwan as Homeland by the second generation of the “People from other provinces”, the contribution made by late Cheng Nylon was the greatest of all.  His sacrifice in the self-immolation incident on April 7, 1989, accelerated the acceptance of Taiwan as Homeland by the second generation of the “People from other provinces”.  A group of “People from other provinces”, influenced by his heroic sacrifice, and awakened finding their own existence like “rootless duckweeds”, had organized on August 23, 1992, the “Association of the People from Other Provinces for Taiwan Independence” in Taipei.  They have loudly exclaimed: “We are the first generation of Taiwanese”.  They also said they want to have mutual respects, harmony and prosperity with other racial groups (aborigines, new and old immigrants) and other lingual groups (Aborigine, Fukien, Hakka, and Peking), and actively engaged in establishing the Taiwanese collective fate unity.  One can see that this was the new turning point for the formation of “Taiwan Nationalism”.

      In March 1994, Ryotaro Shima, a famous Japanese history fiction writer, after interviewed President Lee Teng-hui continuously for several days, wrote an essay on their dialogue titled “the Sorrow of Being a Taiwanese”, printed in “Asahi Weekley” distributed on May 6.  The essay described his conversation with Lee Teng-hui involving sensitive subjects.  For instance, Taiwanese mother tongue was constrained, local education has been neglected; the sorrow of being a Taiwanese was unable to do anything to it in the past for a long time; Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) is an extraneous regime; if Taiwan were thoroughly democratized, it would not be possible to let Kuomintang and Communist negotiate for unification; in recollecting the tragedy of February 28, “Exodus” is the conclusion, Moses and the people have a lot to fight for from now on, etc. etc.

        In fact, these arguments are the viewpoints stated by the people with strong Taiwanese consciousness all the time.  Now that Kuomintang chairman, concurrently the President himself has spoken, it appeared most unusual and invaluable.  During his talks, Lee Teng-hui criticized China with extremely harsh words; for instance, he wanted Chiang Tze-ming to “study about Taiwan, before discussing Taiwan policy or the problem of national unification.  In his conclusion, Lee Teng-hui even strongly implied that: “When recollecting so many Taiwanese people were sacrificed in the February 28 Incident, I found that Exodus is the conclusion”.  Whoever understands the meaning of “Exodus” would know that it means leading the people to “build their own new country”.  The dialogue of Lee Teng-hui and Ryotaro Shima took place in March, before the Thousand Island Lake tragedy had happened, so Lee Teng-hui’s “radical” verbalism was in no way influenced by the tragic incident.

Lee Teng-hui’s Practical Diplomacy and Contradiction

       In 1994, President Lee Teng-hui utilized 8-day Spring Holiday from February 9 to 16, and visited three neighboring countries, i.e. Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand.  This so-called “Holiday Diplomacy”, aiming at promoting the “South bound policy”, was generally believed to breakthrough Chinese government’s “diplomatic blockade” applied on Taiwan, and was also called “Ice-breaking Trip”.  Though manifested as personal visit, the Chinese government repeatedly opposed and severely criticized it.  Not the least worried, Lee Teng-hui went forward and realized his visits, recreated the rare diplomatic activities ever since Taiwan withdrawn from the United Nations (in 1971).  President Lee Teng-hui held high-level talks with President Fidel V. Lamos in the Philippines, President Tommy Suharto in Indonesia, and his Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadei in Thailand.                                                                         

       The significance of these visits was secondary, the “South bound policy”, planned for the economic objective of increasing investments and exchanges in Southeast Asia while reducing reliance on Mainland market, had had much greater promotional function.  When visiting Indonesia, it was interesting the officials of Indonesian Government did not address Lee Teng-hui as “President”, but called him “Professor Lee Teng-hui” or “Dr. Lee Teng-hui.  Taiwan authority deemed this mode could be used likewise in visiting Japan or other countries in the future.

        Following the visits to Southeast Asia in 1994 (February 9 to 16), and Middle and South America (May 4 to 16), Lee Teng-hui again led the government officials and visited the Middle East on April 1, 1995, met with the chief magistrates of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kingdom of Jordan, etc.  The objective of President Lee Teng-hui’s frequent diplomatic activities was by showing economic strength, to seek international recognition of the sovereignty of “Republic of China”.  However, the international community by and large recognizes People’s Republic of China as the only one China.  Under the circumstance, to emphasize that “Republic of China” is standing side by side with People’s Republic of China, that they are two sovereign independent political entities under the same name “China”, and solicit the recognition of all the countries, resume diplomatic relations with them, and re-enter into the United Nations, is like climbing a tree to catch a fish.  Lee Teng-hui’s repeated visits abroad resulted in revealing Republic of China’s suspicious nature of sovereignty instead.

        Among all the countries, the United States is what Taiwan hope to resume diplomatic relations with.  In 1994, President Lee Teng-hui went to visit Middle and South America and South Africa.  When the plane landed on Hawaiian Airport for refueling, he was denied the admission into America by the U.S. government, and he felt very much humiliated and depressed.  However, after various efforts over a year, Clinton Government finally agreed to let Lee Teng-hui go to Cornell University to lecture as an alumnus.  Before his departure on June 7, 1995, Lee Teng-hui said: “We must face with reality, and challenge the impossible”.  When lecturing in Cornell University, he ridiculed himself by saying: “It has been more difficult to mere coming to America than to land on the moon”.

        With regards to Lee Teng-hui’s “practical diplomacy”, the “Asian Review” (July issue) of Mainichi Shinbun, Japan, had had an article criticizing that: “A man used a bamboo pole to stick to the sky at night, trying to swat down the stars.  Another man beside him was worried that the stars might really be swatted down.  Being unsuccessful swatting for quite a while, the first man obtained the neighbor’s permission to climb up the veranda.  Consequently, the other man became very angry”.  In this story, Lee Teng-hui was insinuated as the man sticking the stars with a bamboo pole, climbing up neighbor’s veranda refers to Lee’s visit to the U.S., and the man who lost his temper is Chiang Tze-ming.

      Only a little over a month after President Lee Teng-hui returned from the U.S. visit, China suddenly announced launching of test missiles to Eastern Sea near Pengjia Island off northern Taiwan Island between July 21 through 18.  Followed closely in less than a month, China launched test missiles again in the same water.  Both missile testings by China had caused prompt down fall of the stock market, devaluation of Taiwan currency, and reactions such as outward move of capitals, etc.  This shows the instability of the Taiwanese minds and hearts, and the feeble nature of Taiwan’s economic structure.     

One China Policy of Both Sides of the Strait

      China contends: “If Taiwan resumes the One China policy of the past, everything would be all right”.  What they demand is to return to the “One China” policy of Chiang Kai-sek and Chiang Ching-kuo era.  The so-called “One China” policy was to say “There is only one China, and Republic of China is the orthodox government of China”.  This was a fictional policy that the reign of Republic of China includes the territories of People’s Republic of China and Republic of Mongolia.  China’s “One China” policy is that “There is only one China, People’s Republic of China is the only one China, and Taiwan is a province of China”.  It is another fictional policy construing Taiwan, which People’s Republic of China neither in the past nor at present ever ruled, as their territory.

        The fiction of “One China” can only be established under two other fictions: Taiwan government claims China is its territory, while China claims Taiwan is its territory.  If Taiwan side says China is not its territory, China’s demand for territory of Taiwan would become only one-sided pretension.  China’s insistence of “Taiwan problem is internal problem of China” would lose its just cause. This is similar to Iraq’s claim that Kwait is its own territory.  If force is used based such one-sided pretension, it would be apparent aggression.

       The authoritative structure of Republic of China system, which Chinese Kuomintang and the People from other provinces based on in ruling Taiwan with terrorist measures after they lost the war with Chinese Communist and fled to Taiwan, has already collapsed under the Lee Teng-hui regime.  What remained from the fundamental structure of Republic of China system was only the fiction that China is its own territory.  What made China hate Lee Teng-hui so much and repeat individual attack on him was because Lee Teng-hui destroyed the residual fiction of Republic of China system.  However, Lee Teng-hui did not do these things alone, nor is he prepared to complete it by himself.  He had walked the path together with all nationals; it will be the same in future.

 
The First Presidential Election in Taiwan History

      On March 23, 1996, the election of President and Vice-President with direct ballot by all nationals took place for the first time in Taiwan history.  Consequently, Lee Teng-hui and Lien Chan were elected with overwhelming vote of 54%.  Percentages of the vote received by the candidates of various parties are: Lee Teng-hui/Lien Chan 5,913,699 (54%), Peng Ming-bing/Hsieh Chhan-ting 2,274,586 (21%), Lin Yang-kang/Hao Po-chun 1,603,790 (14.9%), and Chen Li-an/Wang Ching-fong 1,074,044(10%).

       The poll ratio of the latest (Presidential) election was 76.12%, the Legislators’ election of December last year (1995) was 67.65%, and the Legislators’ election of December 1992, the first general election ever held in Taiwan history, was 72.02%, so we can see how much the nation was concerned with the Presidential election held under China’s verbal attacks and armed threats.  Lee Teng-hui’s vote was even 8% higher than the vote of three other competing candidates combined; therefore, you can call it a sweeping victory.  In the legislators’ election of December last year, the votes of various parties were: Kuomintang 47%, DPP 33%, Chinese New Party 13%, and Independent 8%.  However, in the Presidential election, among the DPP supporters many had Lee Teng-hui complex voted for Lee Teng-hui.  People had expected this to happen.  However, the substantial decrease of DPP vote and sizable increase in Lee Teng-hui’s vote may have been caused by China’s verbal attacks and armed threats.  Though unable to make an accurate calculation, it is estimated that one third of DPP supporter’s vote flowed to Lee Teng-hui.

      From the beginning, China paid almost no attention to Dr. Peng Ming-bing, candidate of DPP that includes Taiwan independence in its platform, and focused only on Lee Teng-hui, criticizing him as the culprit in attempt of Taiwan independence.  Certainly, because of the democratization promoted under President Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese people have gained the position of sovereignty owner; the extraneous colonial ruler system of Republic of China has virtually collapsed, and Taiwan has in fact become an independent nation.  The result of this election showed that extremely many people resisted China’s verbal attacks and armed threats, and supported Lee Teng-hui’s practical independent lines.

      On the other hand, candidate Peng Ming-bing secured second place by obtaining 6.2% vote higher than Lin/Hao team; overwhelming majority of the nation seek for Taiwan independence can be proven from these figures.  China’s delusion of crushing the democratized Presidential election, at least to reduce Lee Teng-hui’s vote through verbal attacks and armed threats, completely failed.  This was also unexpected by Hao Po-chun who was believed to have secret contact with China.  Although both Lin Yang-kang and Hao Po-chun had once held the post of Kuomintang’s vice-chairmanship, they had been dismissed from the party, for criticizing that Lee Teng-hui’s activities destroys the party and constitutes “high treason”, and unreservedly supported Chinese New Party in the latest Legislators’ election.  Since Chinese Kuomintang in reality changed to Taiwanese Kuomintang, Chinese New Party was born, and split from Kuomintang; when Lin and Hao claimed that they were the orthodox Chinese Kuomintang and acted based on their track of mind, it did make some sense.

       Hao Po-chun had been in command of the army for a long period.  When he was the Chief of Administrative Yuan, he ignored President Lee Teng-hui and often made improper arbitrary actions, and was even called Hao Po-chun the strong man.  This time, the reason he was willing to run for Vice Presidency under Lin Yang-kang, was no less than expecting to gather vote from the supporters of New Party, which consists mostly people from other provinces, and from sources of Taiwanese voters who supported Lin Yang-kang as well.  Lin Yang-kang’s political experience by far exceeded Lee Teng-hui, and a great number of supporting votes can be expected from individuals.  Lin and Hao criticized Lee Teng-hui for irritating China, they called for people’s support to remedy the relation with China, and China seemed to coordinate with them very well by strengthening verbal attacks and armed threats.  However, the result was pitiful; they had contrarily lost the people’s support, a large quantity of votes went to Lee Teng-hui, and at the same time, they fell behind Peng Ming-bing.  Not only the Taiwanese did not fear Chinese threats, but also taught the two collaborators of China a lesson.  The vote of Chen Li-an, who was mainly supported by Buddist groups, was originally estimated at 5 to 6%, but actually turned out to be 10%.  Though he also asserted “unification”, but was not flagrant as Lin and Hao, so some supporters of Lin and Hao switched to him.

       On May 20, 1996, the inauguration ceremony of new President and Vice-President was held at “Giant Egg” Stadium in Taoyuan.  The inaugural speech of President Lee Teng-hui caught broad attention from various fields home and abroad.  There was rumor about Lee Teng-hui’s speeches being difficult to grasp, for they change because of time and place, and are mutually contradictory.  To summarize his speech, for example, he was opposed to Taiwan independence, emphasized that China must be unified, and he was willing to visit China and meet the highest-level leader, etc.  These old tunes could not but gave the impression that the new regime of Lee Teng-hui was still limited to maintaining the “status quo” and “covert independence”.  This was also limit of 54% national support.  These supporters hope: Taiwan should not be annexed by China, would rather run toward its own future as an independent sovereign nation, but must avoid unnecessary conflict with China as much as possible.  These hopes were condensed in the last half of the inaugural speech, and were very easy to see.  However, sooner or later everybody would know that his wish-y-wash-y view is very difficult to realize.   

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