Special non-state-to-state relations

Special non-state-to-state relations (traditional Chinese: 特殊非兩國論; simplified Chinese: 特殊非两国论) is a term used by Ma Ying-jeou, the former President of the Republic of China (often called "Taiwan"), to describe the nature of relations between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland China Area. President Ma has used the term at least once, although to describe the term as a concept or policy would be premature, especially as it describes those relations loosely in terms of what they are not (rather than what those relations are).

Departing from the former presidents Lee Teng-hui's special state-to-state relations and Chen Shui-bian's One Country on Each Side in which both define the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) as states and the relationship between the two as one between two states, Ma Ying-jeou defines the relations as a special relationship between two areas within one state. The ROC government considers that state as the ROC, while the PRC government considers that state as the PRC. While the governing authority in one area cannot recognise the authority in the other area as a legitimate government, neither would deny the other side being the de facto governing authority of one area of the state. According to this view the relations between the two areas are special and laws relating to international relations cannot be applied.^[1]

Background

President Ma Ying-jeou on 2 September 2008 stated in an interview with the Mexico-based press, Sol de Mexico, that the relations between mainland China and Taiwan are "special," but "not that between two states", because neither the Constitution of the People's Republic of China nor the Constitution of the ROC allows for another state to exist in their respective claimed territory. He conceded the sovereignty issues between the two cannot be resolved at present, but citing the 1992 Consensus as a temporary measure for the issues, as both accept the One China principle but agrees to differ on the definition of that one "China".^[2][3]

Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi (Chinese: 王郁琦) later elaborated the president's statement and said that under the 11th amendment of the ROC Constitution and the "Statute Governing the Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and Mainland Area", the relationship between Taiwan and mainland China is one between two regions of one country. From the ROC's perspective, that country is the ROC.^[4]

Ma Ying-jeou was interviewed by the Japanese magazine World on 7 October 2008. In answering questions relating to the "Special non-state-to-state relations", he said that the ROC "definitely is an independent sovereign state", and under its constitution, mainland China is part of the territory of the ROC. The ROC cannot recognise the existence of another state in its territory, nor does the People's Republic of China want to recognize the ROC. In other words, the ROC does not consider the PRC a state. Accordingly, laws relating to international relations cannot be applied regarding the relations between Taiwan and mainland China.^[1][5][6]

In an interview with the Central News Agency on 25 October 2008, Ma Ying-jeou clarified that conceptualising Taiwan and mainland China as "two areas" was not his invention, but believed the framework offered a way for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to sidestep sovereignty questions in pursuing closer ties as long as each side did not deny the other's existence. Ma said consultations between the two sides' intermediary bodies have been conducted under such a "mutual non-denial" framework. According to Ma, the "two areas" concept could be dated back to 1991, when then-President Lee Teng-hui announced the termination of the Period of National Mobilisation for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion to acknowledge the fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are under separate rule. The move symbolised that the communist regime established on 1 October 1949 in mainland China is no longer considered by the ROC as a "rebellious group," but "a governing authority that has de facto rule of the mainland," Ma said. Over the past 17 years, several other concepts have been put forth by the country's leaders to try to define Cross-Strait relations, but none has been proven feasible, he said. These include the special state-to-state relations proposed by Lee in 1999, and the one country on each side theory raised by then President Chen Shui-bian in 2002, Ma noted.^[7][8]

See also

• Political status of Taiwan
• Two Chinas
• Special state-to-state relations
• One Country on Each Side

References

External links

"Full text of the interview" (in Chinese). Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China. 2008-09-03. 

Links to related articles
Cross-Strait relations  People's Republic of China  Republic of China Organizations Taiwan Affairs Office Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Communist Party of China Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League Paramount leaders Xi Jinping Hu Jintao Jiang Zemin Deng Xiaoping People Chen Deming Chen Yunlin Zhang Zhijun Wang Yi Wang Daohan Organizations Mainland Affairs Council Straits Exchange Foundation Kuomintang Democratic Progressive Party National Unification Council Presidents Tsai Ing-wen Ma Ying-jeou Chen Shui-bian Lee Teng-hui People Lin Join-sane Wang Yu-chi Chiang Pin-kung Lai Shin-Yuan Koo Chen-fu Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu Events Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) Retrocession of Taiwan (1945) February 28 Incident (1947) Chinese Civil War (1946–1950) First Taiwan Strait Crisis (1954–1955) Second Taiwan Strait Crisis (1958) PRC entry to the United Nations (1971) Lieyu Massacre (1987) Third Taiwan Strait Crisis (1995–1996) Anti-Secession Law (2005) Pan-Blue visits to mainland China (2005) Cross-Strait charter (2005–2008) Sunflower Movement (2014) 2014 Wang–Zhang meetings 2015 Xi–Chu meeting 2015 Ma–Xi meeting Negotiations Kinmen Agreement (1990) Wang–Koo summit (1993) Cross-Strait high-level talks (2008–current) Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (2010) Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum (2006–current) Straits Forum (2009–current) Shanghai-Taipei City Forum (2010–current) Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (2013) Cross-Strait Peace Forum (2013–current) Concepts Political status of Taiwan Chinese Unification One country, two systems One China, Better system Taiwan independence movement 1992 Consensus one China, respective interpretations no unification, no independence and no use of force Three Links One-China policy Two Chinas One Country on Each Side Three Noes Six Assurances Special state-to-state relations Four Noes and One Without Zhonghua Minzu Special non-state-to-state relations Cross-Strait Economic Zone Free area of the Republic of China Chinese Taipei This article is part of a series on the Politics of the Republic of China Commonly known as Taiwan Government Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China Original Constitution Law Taxation Leadership President of the Republic of China President Tsai Ing-wen Vice President Chen Chien-jen Executive Premier of the Republic of China Premier Lin Chuan Vice Premier Lin Hsi-yao Legislative Speaker Su Chia-chyuan Deputy Speaker Tsai Chi-chang Ninth Legislative Yuan Judicial President and Chief Justice Hsu Tzong-li Vice President Tsai Jung-dwen Supreme Court of the Republic of China District Courts Other branches Examination Yuan President Wu Jin-lin Control Yuan President Chang Po-ya Local governments Administrative divisions Heads Elections Central Election Commission Chairperson Liu I-chou Presidential elections 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Legislative elections 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2008 2012 2016 Referendums 2004 Jan 2008 Mar 2008 Political parties Nationally represented Democratic Progressive Party Kuomintang New Power Party People First Party Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Others Taiwan Solidarity Union New Party Minkuotang Green Party Taiwan Related topics Political status of Taiwan One-China policy Chinese Taipei Chinese unification Taiwan independence movement Foreign relations United Nations Japan South Korea Singapore United States Cross-Strait relations Special state-to-state relations One Country on Each Side 1992 Consensus Taiwan consensus 2015 Ma–Xi meeting Other countries Atlas Taiwan portal Politics of the People's Republic of China Constitution Laws Parties Parties Communist Party Central Committee General Secretary Central Politburo Politburo Standing Committee Central Secretariat Central Commission for Discipline Inspection State organs National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman President Vice President State Council Premier Vice Premiers State Councilors Central Military Commission Chairman People's Liberation Army People's Armed Police People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee Chairman Politics of province-level divisions (current leaders) Municipalities Beijing Chongqing Shanghai Tianjin Provinces Anhui Fujian Gansu Guangdong Guizhou Hainan Hebei Heilongjiang Henan Hubei Hunan Jiangsu Jiangxi Jilin Liaoning Qinghai Shaanxi Shandong Shanxi Sichuan Yunnan Zhejiang Autonomous regions Guangxi Inner Mongolia Ningxia Xinjiang Tibet (leaders) SARs Hong Kong Macau See also Elections