The Road to Democracy: Taiwan's Pursuit of Identity

240 Pages·1999·6.541 MB·English

by  Lee Teng-Hui

eTeng-hui
The Road to Democracy
Taiwan's Pursuit of Identity
If Taiwan is not a sovereign state, what is it? 0 an
island about the size of the state of West Virginia,
Taiwan's people have built a modern industrial de­
mocracy. Over the past decade they have produced
"twin miracles" of economic development and
political reform under the leadership of the author,
President Lee Teng-hui of the Republic of China
(ROC).
President Lee's July 9, 1999 statement on the
"special state-to-state relationship" took the world
by surprise. As The Road to Democracy: Taiwan's Pur­
suit of Identity makes clear, however, that pro­
nouncement in no way marked a sudden policy
shift, much less a declaration of independence. The
Nationalist government leader simply wanted to
clarify the relationship and parity of the two sides
ofTaiwan Strait so that Peking (Beijing) and Taipei
can proceed with negotiations on an equal foot­
ing. In reality, the People's Republic of China (PRC)
has never controlled Taiwan, while the ROC relin­
quished its authority in the mainland after mov­
ing its capital to Taipei in 1949.
Taiwan has 22 million people with their own
elected government. Its per capita national income
of over US$12,000 makes it one of the wealthiest
countries in Asia today. Taiwan's economic per­
formance consistently ranks among the top 10 per­
cent in the world in terms of economic growth rate,
total GNP, per capital income, science and tech­
nology, foreign trade volume, foreign exchange
reserves, and capital exports. Yet it is not recog­
nized as a sovereign state by most of the countries
of the world, nor is it a member of the United Na­
tions.
The major themes in The Road to Democracy are
woven around two key terms: Taiwan's "exis­
tence" and its "experience." Unless the Republic
M China on Taiwan remains in existence, its hard­
won democracy and economic prosperity could
founder, with serious repercussions in Asia and
the world. Hence the importance of its -�curity
policy based on the three pillars of Arr • d n com­
mitment to Taiwan's defense, the r own mili-
tary preparedness, and an efft e pragmatic
diplomacy.
(continued 011 back flap/

The Road to Democracy

Taiwan's Pursuit of Identity
Lee Teng-hui
PUBLISHED BY PHP INSTITUTE, INC.
Note: Romanization and name order in this book
follow country practice.
This book was originally published in Japanese under the title Taiwan no
shucho,
copyright© 1999 Teresa Chang. English translation copyright ©
1999 by PHP Institute, Inc.
Published by PHP Institute, Inc. Tokyo Head Office 3-10, Sanbancho,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102 Japan; Kyoto Head Office 11 Kitanouchi-cho,
Nishikujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto 601 Japan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed and bound in Japan by Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. Typesetting by
Asahi Media International Corporation. Jacket design by Michiyoshi Gow.
Book design and layout by Taniguchi Koitsu. The main text is set in
12-point Palatino.
First Edition, September 1999
ISBN4-569-60651-2
To the People of Taiwan