BEIJING: With a subtle shift in policy on Taiwan, Beijing has cracked the door open to better ties with its arch rival, but deep suspicion on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will keep prospects for reconciliation talks dim. The softer line was delivered on Thursday by Vice Premier Qian Qichen, who said not all of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party were separatists. The rest of President Chen Shui-bian’s party, hitherto shunned for its pro-independence stance, could visit the mainland, he said.

Diplomats and analysts said Beijing was floating a trial balloon in the wake of election victories that ensured Chen would not disappear from Taiwan’s political landscape anytime soon. China is hoping the softer line will appeal more to the Taiwan public and business leaders, and keep the DPP from straying further towards separatist goals, they said.

The pragmatic stance could win points for Beijing abroad and help cool a hot-button issue in Sino-US relations ahead of a February visit by President George W. Bush, who early on in his presidency. It made more sense for China to take a small step toward improving ties now rather than after President Jiang Zemin and other leaders make way for a new generation of leaders at a party congress later this year, Broadfoot said. The small trial balloon could easily burst depending on Taiwan’s reaction, with little fall-out for Beijing’s leadership.

Chen’s breathing room is limited by his constituents wanting to see a tough stance on China. “He is under constraints to make very, very modest changes and I don’t really see the prospect of a breakthrough,” Ch’i Hsi-sheng of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said.—Reuters