A Happy, Prosperous Life

When President Chiang met to discuss this week's story with Hong Kong Bureau Chief Sandra Burton and Taipei Stringer Don Shapiro, it was the leader's first interview with U.S. journalists in more than a year. After the 40-minute session, an aide handed Burton an envelope. In it were Chiang's written answers to questions submitted by TIME three months earlier. The responses:

On speculation that Chiang and Deng Xiaoping may try to resolve Taiwan's status. First of all, I wish to point out emphatically that there is not any so-called Taiwan question. In fact, there is only the China question. With the implementation of constitutional democracy in the Taiwan area, our people enjoy a free, peaceful, happy and prosperous life. This greatly disturbs the Chinese Communist leaders. Therefore they spare no effort in using all kinds of plots trying to confuse the China question with a so-called Taiwan question. An early reunification of China is the common wish of all Chinese. However, we shall never, just for the sake of reunification, deprive the people on the mainland of their hope to strive for a free and democratic life. Our position is unequivocal: as long as the Chinese Communists impose the Communist system on our people in the mainland, there is no possibility for the two sides to negotiate.

A problem of such magnitude involving the future of China should not be determined by any individual's tenure of office or someone's personal opinion but by the free will of all the Chinese people.

On pressures for trade with the mainland. It is the established policy of the government of the Republic of China not to trade with the Chinese mainland. We do not allow our importers and exporters to trade with the Chinese Communists to prevent the latter from using trade to engage in subversion and infiltration against us and to undermine our economic planning.

The Republic of China is a country that adopts market economy and encourages free trade. The government fully understands the intention of our businessmen to further expand their trade operations. Meanwhile, our businessmen certainly understand the adverse effect of direct trade with the mainland and the pitfalls they may fall into. In recent years the government has endeavored to assist our businessmen to improve the quality of their products, to diversify markets and to increase their competitive ability in foreign trade.

On rumors that Chiang's son will succeed him. The Republic of China is a constitutional democracy. Since 1947, when the constitution came into effect, the President and Vice President have been elected by the National Assembly in accordance with the constitution and the law of election and recall of the President and the Vice President, and this will be the case in the future. Therefore, there is no problem in the succession to the presidency. Meanwhile, as President, it is my responsibility to safeguard the constitution and to maintain democracy and the rule of law. As to the succession to the presidency by a member of the Chiang family, I have never given any consideration to it.