The Koo-Wang Talks and the Prospect of Building Constructive and Stable Relations Across the Taiwan Straits

Abstract

On February 8, 1991, the Republic of China (ROC) established the private Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) to make unofficial contact and negotiations with the mainland Chinese authorities. Koo Chen-fu, chairman of the National Association of Industry and Commerce, was elected chairman of the SEF. On December 6, 1991, the People`s Republic of China (PRC) decided to establish a corresponding organization-the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). Wang Tao-han (Wang Daohan), a former mayor of Shanghai, was elected its chairman. On April 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 intermediary organizations of Taiwan and the mainland since the two parts of China were de facto divided in late 1949. This article reviews the background and origin of the Koo-Wang talks and their implications for the development of Taiwan-mainland relations. The official ROC view on the talks as released by the ROC Mainland Affairs Council, the English translation of the four agreements reached at the talks, and the Guidelines for National Unification are included in the appendices of this paper.