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Taiwan's Milestone

Wednesday, December 17, 1997; Page A24

WHILE ECONOMIC meltdown in much of Asia has held the world's attention, a more positive development in one corner of the continent was less noticed. The island of Taiwan -- one of Asia's economic tigers, which, incidentally, has withstood this economic crisis very nicely -- held an election two weeks ago, and for the first time an opposition party emerged with most votes.

It's true that only local posts were at stake, but when you consider the relative youth of Taiwan's democracy, this result represents a remarkable achievement. After all, it was only seven years ago that Hsu Hsin-liang was released from prison, where he had been held as an opposition politician on charges of sedition; today he is chairman of the victorious Democratic Progressive Party. The consolidation and maturity of Taiwan's democracy stands as a constant rebuttal to Beijing's contention that Chinese values and self-determination don't mix.

The opposition victory could have significance also for the most sensitive question of Taiwan's relations with the People's Republic of China, and of the U.S. role in the region. Communist China regards Taiwan as a renegade province. Most Taiwanese don't see themselves that way; they're proud of what they've accomplished since 1949, not only in democratic development but in culture and economy as well.

Taiwan has only 21 million people, but it's the world's 14th largest trading nation, with $81 billion in reserves. The U.S. view, deferential to China, is that there is only one China, but that the two entities should resolve things peacefully. The United States is certainly opposed to China's forcing a solution, but it also opposes any unilateral Taiwanese moves toward independence that China would view as provocative and unacceptable.

The recent election wasn't about foreign policy but rather about local issues: law and order, road-building, corruption. But the winning Democratic Progressive Party is traditionally pro-independence, unlike the long-ruling Kuomintang. A year from now Taiwan will hold elections for national parliament, and in that case relations with China will be an issue. The Kuomintang will have advantages in that contest that it didn't enjoy two weeks ago; but the DPP, having won once, will be seen as a contender.

That makes some Americans, who worry about not provoking China, nervous. But it's significant that the DPP, as soon as it won the local election, began repositioning itself as an advocate for peace and stability. Mr. Hsu, visiting Washington last week, said his party's pro-independence platform is interesting only as a historical relic; in power, he said, the DPP would safeguard the status quo. In so saying, he is responding to political reality as consistently reflected in opinion polling. Taiwanese are deeply divided about their eventual goal -- unification with China or independence or something in between -- and no doubt their views depend in part on how China evolves. But an overwhelming majority favors neither outcome any time soon but rather a continuation of the current ill-defined situation.

Polls also show, though, that most Taiwanese are eager for more international recognition and for admission into those international organizations from which Beijing is constantly working to exclude them. Those aspirations seem to us entirely understandable, to be viewed with sympathy and not as reckless provocations. Taiwan's recent milestone in democratic development only deepens its claim on other nations' respect.