BEIJING; Putting on a brave face to meet recent political shifts in Taiwan, the island republic over which it claims sovereignty, China has extended its first olive branch toward the pro-independence ruling party of President Chen Shuibian.

In a high-profile speech this week delivered by China’s most senior foreign policy official, Beijing said it was ready to deal with Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and invited its members to visit the mainland.

Vice-Premier Qian Qichen said Beijing has realized that most of the DPP members were not “separatists” - a sea change in China’s publicly stated views before of Chen’s political party, which still has independence from mainland China in its goals. “We believe there is a distinction between the vast majority of DPP members and a very small number of stubborn Taiwan independence activists,” Qian said. “We invite them to tour and visit in an appropriate status to promote understanding.”

The overture appears to be a part of overall softening in Beijing policy toward Taiwan as the mainland’s communist leaders come to grips with the reality that the DPP, a party they used to shun, has become not only the ruling authority but also the largest party in Taiwan’s Parliament.

Indeed, observers note that a spate of recent Taiwanese moves to seek more international support for its cause have been met with only a subdued criticism by Beijing. “They say the same things as before, but the venom seems to have gone,” said one Asian diplomat in Beijing.

Beijing issued its usual protests when the US granted transit visas to President Chen and Vice President Annette Lu in recent months, but the official reaction was far from the barrage of threats that met Taiwan’s former president Lee Tenghui’s visit to the US in 1996. In China’s eyes granting Taiwanese leaders visas to visit the US inches toward formal US recognition for the government of Taiwan. Five years ago, Lee Tenghui’s tour of his alma mater, Cornell University, was met with a torrent of indignation nearly triggered a cross-straits war.

President Chen Shuibian was warmly received in New York in May and met with then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Observers are also puzzled by the fact that a recent decision by Taipei to add the words “issued in Taiwan” to its Republic of China passports did not provoke more angry responses from Beijing.

Taiwan’s official title is the “Republic of China”, while China is formally known as the “People’s Republic of China”. Earlier this month, officials in Taipei said the planned change was merely out of convenience, aimed to avoid confusing foreign customs. It would not involve the changing the island’s official name, they added.

Beijing branded the move a push for tr the ”gradual independence of Taiwan”. A spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council warned earlier this month that any form of Taiwan’s “independence” would not be tolerated. But belligerent rhetoric disappeared quickly from the state-run media, pushed aside by articles discussing a surge in trade between Taiwan and the mainland.

In the wake of Taiwan and China’s simultaneous entry into the WTOlast year, the “People’s Daily” newspaper ran a commentary recently talking up “the dramatically increased business opportunities” for the two sides. The bone of contention between Beijing and Taipei continues to be the sensitive issue of the “one-China principle”. Beijing insists that Taipei recognise there is only one China before the two sides could re-open any cross-strait talks.

In a sign that Beijing is angling for a new round of talks, for the first time Thursday Qian Qichen invited a dialogue with Taiwan about establishing a “mechanism for cross-strait economic cooperation” and other ways to improve economic ties.

“It is hoped that leaders of Taiwan authorities will not misjudge the situation and miss this good chance,” the “People’s Daily” said in an editorial on Friday. —Dawn/InterPress Service.