ABSTRACT
The political positions of China and Taiwan following the 2004 Taiwan elections are evident in the following two documents. The first is from a statement by the Office for Taiwan Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party, dated 17 May 2004. The second is taken from Taiwan President Chen Shuibian's inaugural address, delivered three days later, on 20 May 2004. To put a resolute check on the 'Taiwan independence' activities aimed at dismembering China and safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits is the most pressing task before the compatriots on both sides of the Straits. Chen Shui-bian pledged himself to the so-called 'five no's' policy. He said he would not change Taiwan's so-called 'national title', but he has incessantly clamored for 'rectification of Taiwan's name' and 'disunification' in Taiwan. The people on both sides share a common ancestral, cultural, and historical heritage. In past century, both have endured the repression of foreign powers and the domination of authoritarian rule.
