H. Chiu, THE KOO-WANG TALKS AND THE PROSPECT OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTIVE AND STABLE RELATIONS ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAITS, Issues and studies - Institute of International Relations, 29(8), 1993, pp. 1-36
On February 8, 1991, the Republic of China (ROC) established the priva
te Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) to make unofficial contact and ne
gotiations with the mainland Chinese authorities. Koo Chen-fu, chairma
n of the National Association of Industry and Commerce, was elected ch
airman of the SEF. On December 6, 1991, the People's Republic of China
(PRC) decided to establish a corresponding organization-the Associati
on for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). Wang Tao-han (Wang
Daohan), a former mayor of Shanghai, was elected its chairman. On Apr
il 27, 1993, Koo and Wang began their historic talks in Singapore and
on April 29, 1993, four agreements were concluded. This was the first
meeting between the heads of two private, but government-authorized in
termediary organizations of Taiwan and the mainland since the two part
s of China were de facto divided in late 1949. This article reviews th
e background and origin of the Koo-Wang talks and their implications f
or the development of Taiwan-mainland relations. The official ROC view
on the talks as released by the ROC Mainland Affairs Council, the Eng
lish translation of the four agreements reached at the talks, and the
Guidelines for National Unification are included in the appendices of
this paper.