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CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8
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January 1, 1985
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Directorate of Seemt. Intelligence on Taiwan The Political Succession Secret EA 85-10001 January 19985Q Copy 16 8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Directorate of Secret Intelligence The Political Succession on Taiwan ~ China Division, OEA, on Office of East Asian Analysis. Comments and queries are welcome and may be directed to the Chief, This paper was prepared by Secret EA 85-10001 January 1985 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Secret The Political Succession on Taiwan 25X1 Key Judgments Chiang Ching-kuol lis likely to be succeeded by a collegial, Information available technocratic leadership governing in a somewhat less authoritarian style. as of 15 November 1984 The immediate succession will be dominated by a collegium of older was used in this report. mainlanders and is expected to go smoothly. Differences within this group over internal or foreign policy issues are unlikely to trigger a major power struggle. By the same token, Chiang's immediate successors are unlikely to under- take any major new policy initiatives. Thus, we expect they would initially seek symbolic gestures of continued US support to demonstrate that they can manage relations with Washington. We believe they would also continue to hold China at arm's length to avoid Taiwanese charges of negotiating with Beijing in order to perpetuate mainlander dominance on the island. We believe that no individual will dominate the immediate successor regime. Rather, decisions will increasingly be made by consensus among several powerful figures representing such key constituencies as the military, the party's old guard, and the security services. This collegium, in turn, will seek the formal ratification of the other members of the party's powerful Standing Committee for all major policy decisions. Over the longer term, a coalition of Taiwanese and younger mainlanders will move up, a transition that Chiang has been preparing since the mid- 1970s. As these politicians develop more influence toward the end of this decade, we believe they may press for more innovative approaches to old domestic and foreign policy problems, including relations with the mainland. Any change they advocated in policy toward China, however, would be tactical and designed mainly to reduce the appearance of Taiwan intransi- gence. There is no indication that anyone within this group favors reunification on Beijing's current terms, or on anything other than perhaps the most nominal basis. Still, such proposals could create serious dissension within the leadership on this key political issue. Disagreements between the Taiwanese and the senior mainlanders could also spill over into other areas, such as economic planning and defense allocations. Secret EA 85-10001 January 1985 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Thus, despite Chiang's preparations, the present trend toward a peaceful transfer of power to a more Taiwanese leadership over the next decade is by no means assured: ? Those mainlanders who believe their interests are threatened by Taiwani- zation could try to slow the process, thus provoking even sharper disputes with Taiwanese in the Kuomintang. Conversely, Taiwanese in the party or opposition could press too soon for a greater sharing of power, as Taiwanese radicals did during 1979, provoking a strong conservative mainlander backlash. ? Economic problems could also undermine stability. Chiang has used the phenomenal improvement in the island's standard of living to mute Taiwanese discontent over mainlander political dominance. But if the government's present effort to retool the economy-a move intended to ensure that the island's exports remain competitive-falters, the Taiwan- ese could challenge mainlander management, especially if the prospect of a greater sharing of political power proves illusory. China's immediate response to Chiang's death will probably be a renewed call for reunification negotiations. Beijing might even try to use intermedi- aries to coax individual members of the collegium to support negotiations with promises of support for their political position. Because the Chinese believe that US arms sales to the island encourage Taiwan to resist Chinese overtures, they might also increase pressure on the United States to halt the sales. Over the longer term, if the Taiwanese continue to move up within the leadership, Beijing probably would fear that such a leadership might declare Taiwan independent, a step China has said might cause it to drop its pursuit of peaceful unification. We believe the Taiwanese would not take that risk, but Beijing probably would apply political pressure on Taipei to deter such a move unless the Taiwanese took steps to reassure Beijing. Indeed, if the Taiwanese were able to persuade the senior mainlanders to take a more flexible approach toward China, we believe that Beijing would feel less compelled to press for further curbs on US arms sales to the island. This, of course, would ease tension between the United States and China. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Mechanics of Succession Policy Continuity The Economy Party Reform and the Second Succession 5 Managing the Pressure 5 Future Policy Disputes 7 Foreign Policy 7 Other Potential Conflicts 8 The View From Beijing and Implications for the United States 9 A. KMT Standing Committee (Elected in 1984) B. Taiwan Cabinet (Inaugurated on 1 June 1984) Influential Younger Mainlanders 6 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 The Political Succession on Taiwan Chiang Ching-kuo, 74, has been the dominant figure in Taiwan politics for the past decade. Those around him who hold key positions of power and influence in the government and the Kuomintang (KMT) are nearly all mainlanders of the same generation-men such as Premier Yu Kuo-hua, 70, and Chiang Yen- shih, 69, the Secretary General of the KMT. Below them, however, is a younger group of Taiwanese and mainlanders whom Chiang has been grooming as a successor generation. To strengthen the legitimacy of the KMT and the prospects for a smooth generational transition, Chiang has broadened the popular base of the party and incorporated key new constituencies-predominantly Taiwanese-produced by Taiwan's rapid economic development. This "Taiwanization" is gradually be- ginning to change the makeup of both the party and the government leadership. To underscore his com- mitment to a gradual transfer of power, Chiang selected Li Teng-hui, a 61-year-old Taiwanese, as his running mate and vice president last spring. F_~ We believe Chiang's decision to seek another six-year term as president-he was reelected last May- despite his poor health stems from his desire to increase the chances for an orderly transfer of power after his death. In the short run, he wants to strength- en the position of his most likely successors-the still dominant mainlander clique surrounding him-while putting more firmly in place his plans for a transition to a younger, more Taiwanese leadership by the early 1990s. Mechanics of Succession If Chiang dies during his present term, Vice President Li Teng-hui would accede to the presidency under Taiwan's constitutional process. But because Li con- trols no faction of his own, his power would not be commensurate with his position. Premier Yu Kuo-hua would probably be more powerful. But Yu, who was named premier in June, also lacks a strong political base and is primarily a technocrat There is no established method to replace Chiang as party Chairman, a position to which a successor must be elected by the KMT Central Committee. Likely candidates include current party Secretary General Chiang Yen-shih, but his power base is also limited. No single leader, in fact, is likely to possess the extensive network of contacts and support necessary to dominate the government the way Chiang has. Thus, we believe that Li and Yu would have to share power with the other senior members of the 31-man KMT Central Standing Committee (see appendix A). The Committee is the ruling party's highest decision- making forum and will probably assume additional power after Chiang's death. Taiwan's political leaders are comfortable with such ad hoc political arrangements and have worked well together during similar periods in the past. For exam- ple, Chiang Ching-kuo ran the government from the Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 The Kuomintang in 1922 was consciously modeled after the Soviet Communist Party and remains so today. Chiang Ching-kuo is party chairman, in addi- tion to being president of the state. There are no vice- chairmen, nor is there any automatic process for naming a successor as chairman. Policymaking nominally resides in the Central Standing Committee (see appendix A), which is equiv- alent to a politburo, and in six subcommittees of the party's Central Committee. The Secretary General, Chiang Yen-shih, is responsible for day-to-day man- agement of party affairs Premier's office under a caretaker president following the death of his father in 1975. More recently, when Chiang was incapacitated after eye surgery in 1982, an informal group of top leaders took over his respon- sibilities for several months. A similar group was formed and worked successfully when former Premier Sun suffered a stroke earlier this year. Chiang has carefully tailored the Standing Commit- tee so that it now contains representatives not only of the three traditional bases of power-the military, security services, and the KMT old guard-but also of important new groups from the bureaucracy, busi- ness community, and the media, many of whom are Taiwanese. We believe that Chiang envisions the members of this body assuming a greater policymak- ing role and making decisions representing a consen- sus of the island's major political constituencies. Chiang also probably hopes this arrangement will forestall any serious challenge to the succession proc- ess he has worked out. If Chiang's plan succeeds, as seems likely, his death will set in motion an evolution toward a more pluralis- tic leadership less dominated by the military and security services. Indeed, once Chiang dies, those at the top will have to assess-for the first time-the relative strength of their own power bases. Until now, their power and influence have depended much more on their relationship with Chiang Ching-kuo than on the group they represent. As political jockeying be- comes more pronounced, some of these men will probably reach out beyond the traditional bases of power in search of allies. This, in turn, should create opportunities for businessmen, technocrats, and media experts to play a larger role in policy formulation than is now the case. We believe the probable formation of such competing power blocs will lead to a more pluralistic system that takes the interests of all the major groupings more into account before decisions are made. Although we believe that no single individual will ever be able to exercise the broad powers of either Chiang or his father, senior Taiwan politicians may-like many of their Asian counterparts-find collegial deci- sionmaking difficult and eventually turn to one indi- vidual to broker decisions. Alternatively, one man could, over time, try to create a power base similar to Chiang's. Because Chiang has prevented any of his subordinates from building power bases that would allow them to challenge his power, predictions about which of the current politicians will emerge are difficult. The most likely candidate would seem to be Li Huan, a mainlander who enjoys support from the Taiwanese and also has good relations with the security services. But Li is only the Minister of Education, does not currently sit on the Standing Committee, and until recently was absent from Taipei for four years. None- theless, Li is, at 67, the youngest of the senior leaders, and he built a strong following during his tenure as director of the party's organization department during the 1970s. In addition, despite his exile to Kaohsiung following election rioting in 1977, Li was able to maintain his substantial faction on the KMT's Cen- tral Committee Policy Continuity We expect any new leadership-whatever its precise composition-to hew closely, at least at first, to the guidelines that Chiang has laid down, especially in foreign policy, defense, and economic modernization. The key exception could be on the question of the "Taiwanization" of the ruling party and government. 25X1 25X1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Foreign and Defense Policies. Taiwan's historical need to maintain close economic, political, security, and technological ties to the United States will contin- ue to shape the foreign policy of Chiang's successors. We expect no leader or group to question the need for this linkage during the 1980s, although there will be disagreements over how best to manage it. Because nearly everyone within the leadership distrusts the United States to some degree, Taiwan has sought repeated US assurances about its intentions. We believe Chiang's successors will follow suit, both to bolster their own confidence and to demonstrate-for domestic consumption-their ability to manage the US relationship. Any new leadership will maintain a strong military deterrent and remain unpersuaded that close United States-China relations reduce the island's military needs. Hence, the new leadership will continue to seek from the United States the weapons and weapons- related technology it believes are necessary to deter China from trying to seize the island. F___-] Chiang's successors also will probably be loath to change Chiang's policy of "no contact and no negotia- tion" with the mainland lest they fuel domestic tensions on the island. In particular, any new leader- ship would have to fear that the Taiwanese majority would interpret such moves as preliminary to a "sell- out." Taiwanese politicians have stressed repeatedly to US and other foreign officials that they will not accept any form of settlement negotiated by the mainlanders. The Economy. Chiang's death probably will trigger some capital flight and nervousness among foreign and domestic investors, but we believe that will be manageable. His decision to name Yu Kuo-hua Pre- mier last May probably was intended in part to reassure such investors that there will be continuity in government economic policy. Yu is widely regarded as one of the principal architects of Taiwan's remarkable economic performance. He is also viewed-correct- ly-as a very conservative economist, who can be counted on to pursue sound, if cautious, economic policies. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Yu's selection probably also reflects Chiang's judg- ment that his successors' ability to maintain internal stability after his death will depend in no small measure on how well they manage the economy. The government has been highly successful thus far in muting Taiwanese discontent over mainlander politi- cal dominance by sustaining high rates of growth and by ensuring an equitable distribution of the resulting prosperity. As one consequence, most of the large and growing Taiwanese middle class remains more inter- ested in the pursuit of wealth than in political power. This situation could change, however, if the island's senior economic managers-who are mainlanders- falter in their efforts to maintain Taiwan's strong competitive position in the international marketplace. Low population growth and increased prosperity have sharply pushed up labor costs on the island. As a result, Taiwan's traditional labor-intensive export in- dustries face increasingly stiff competition from such countries as China, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.F---] To overcome this problem, the government is promot- ing the development of more technology-intensive industries. Government economists are optimistic that ultimately they will succeed, but even they expect that the transition period may be difficult and are forecast- ing slower economic growth over the next decade.F_ Party Reform and the Second Succession Probably the single greatest potential problem for a successor regime will be managing the pace of Taiwanization. Over the past several years Chiang Ching-kuo has appointed increasing numbers of Tai- wanese to high positions in the party and government. Although these moves have thus far been largely cosmetic, half of the Cabinet (see appendix B) and over a third of the Standing Committee are now Taiwanese. Thus, an important precedent has been established that Chiang's successors will find difficult to reverse. Perhaps more significant over the longer term is the fact that Chiang has worked since 1977 to expand the party's popular base to incorporate new social groups that have emerged as a result of Taiwan's economic development. As a result, the composition of party membership has changed dramatically. The KMT is now three-fourths Taiwanese, young-60 percent of the members are under 35-and primarily middle class, closely resembling the island's demographics. These reforms markedly strengthen the party's popu- lar appeal and sharply increase the prospects for the maintenance of one-party rule on the island. At the same time, they guarantee that the party's present mainlander leadership will face increasing pressure from below from competing new interest groups. For example, many of the new Legislative Yuan members elected in the relatively honest elections since 1977 represent grassroots interests and a powerful force for change to which senior party mandarins will have to pay increasing attention. Another group that is moving up inside the party and will be a strong voice for change is the younger mainlanders (see table). These individuals recognize that they are unlikely to inherit the power of their fathers or other powerful relatives to whom they trace their political lineage, and thus have made a strong effort to cultivate close ties with influential Taiwanese politicians. Their connections and knowledge of for- eign affairs and foreign languages will, at the least, guarantee them some influence in future govern- ments. Managing the Pressure As long as the successor leadership does nothing to slow or block Taiwanization, it should be able to control the pace of this process. Thus far, the Taiwan- ese inside the KMT have been patient, and we believe they will remain so because they believe time is on their side. In fact, two of the most powerful Taiwan- ese KMT politicians told US representatives in Taipei last year that they hoped Chiang would outlive his appointed mainlander successors so that he could hand over power directly to them. I I -, Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Name Age Position Father's Position Chen Lu-an 47 Chairman, National Deceased Vice Science Council President CCNAA/W dent, Academia Sinica Sung Chu-yu 42 Director, KMT Deceased Deputy Cultural Affairs Department Chief of Staff for Intelligence Chiang Hsiao-yen 42 Chief, US Affairs, Current Foreign Ministry President Chiang Hsiao-wu 39 President, Broadcast Current Corporation of China President Kuan Chung 44 Chief, Taipei Father-in-law is Municipal Party Deputy Defense Minister The political opposition to the KMT-almost exclu- sively Taiwanese-is too weak and divided to apply significant pressure on the government to accelerate Taiwanization and will probably remain so. If the opposition pushed too hard, it would run the risk of being repressed. In 1979, after the US recognition of Beijing, the more radical opposition politicians con- cluded that the government had been so weakened that they could challenge it directly. That confronta- tion resulted in a tough government crackdown and the arrests of many radical Taiwanese leaders.) The radicals could see a new opportunity to confront the government after Chiang's death, but in our view that would be a serious miscalculation. We believe the security services would stifle such a challenge. An initially weak or uncertain government might even allow the security apparatus greater latitude than it now has and, as a consequence, countenance a harder crackdown] residue of suspicion on both sides the police have monitored and checked Taiwanese political activity since the 1940s, and there is a strong With one exception-Chen Shou-shan, commander of the Taiwan Garrison General Headquarters-main- landers still man all key security posts. We believe that there probably is an increasing number of Tai- wanese at lower levels, but they are unlikely to reach senior positions soon. Most of the security services' efforts have been aimed at anti-KMT dissidents, but we believe that the security services look askance at all Taiwanese politi- cal activity, even that within the KMT. We believe the security services fear that a future Taiwanese leadership might be less willing to crack down on what they see as the activities of anti-KMT Taiwan- ese, something they define more broadly than the Taiwanese themselves. The security services, therefore, could put pressure on the government to slow the pace of Taiwanization, posing problems for Chiang's successors. Still, Presi- dent Chiang has been careful to stress military subor- dination to civilians in his selection of top officers and has already moved to limit the future power of this group. Most notably, in 1983 Chiang demoted and transferred Gen. Wang Sheng, then head of the General Political Warfare Department and a symbol of opposition to Taiwanese political aspirations.F_ Opposition to Taiwanization could also come from the military, but during discussions with US representa- tives on Taiwan most high-ranking officers seem resigned to the eventual transfer of power to a Taiwanese civilian leadership. The changes that took place within the party and the government during the late 1970s are beginning to occur in the military. Although there are only about a dozen Taiwanese general officers, a review of those just below flag rank indicates that their numbers will increase significantly by the end of the decade. Enlisted men are over- whelmingly Taiwanese, as are most junior officers.F_ Indeed, we believe that the security services represent the greatest obstacle to eventual Taiwanization of the government and party. The garrison command and Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Secret Military opposition would be constrained by fears that Beijing could exploit any serious civilian-military tensions. Like the senior mainlander political elite, the military and security services believe that China might undertake military action at any time and are reluctant to participate in activities that might in- crease Taiwan's vulnerability to such a move. Future Policy Disputes Foreign Policy. As the Taiwanese and younger main- lander politicians become increasingly involved in decisions affecting defense and foreign policy-dis- cussions from which they are currently barred-they might begin to question openly current policies, creat- ing dissension within the leadership. Although the rising young Taiwanese officials, along with younger mainlanders, agree with the present ruling elite that US arms and security guarantees are important, they are also concerned about what they see as excessive reliance on the United States. They believe the government should put much more stress on domestic political and economic developments, claiming that Taiwan's security and stability are enhanced more by its international economic position and peaceful political evolution than by close ties with the United States. Success in these areas, they argue, attracts investors and trade and generates concern in Europe and Japan-as well as in the United States- over any Chinese attempt to bring about reunification by other than peaceful means. We believe Taiwanese businessmen, who dominate the private sector, would support them. Such businessmen have repeatedly criticized Taipei's ban on trade with the Chinese mainland. By the same token, some Taiwanese politicians have also been critical of the current leadership's strict limits on athletic, intellectual, and cultural exchanges with China. In private conversations with US offi- cials, Taiwanese politicians have argued in favor of increased exchanges, not because they agree with Beijing's view that this would eventually lead to reunification, but because it might reduce Chinese pressure on both Taiwan and the United States to begin the process. These officials are critical of what they term the current leadership's "paranoia" about such activities and of the resulting policy of "no contacts." These politicians believe that this approach denies the island a valuable ploy to use against the mainland and leaves the island's security overly de- pendent on decisions made in Washington. Many younger mainlanders are just as critical of current policies and are already exploring ways of dealing with the mainland that are quite different from those of the current, leadership and sometimes even offensive to it. For example, Sung Chu-yu, until recently director of the Government Information Of- fice and son of the late Lt. Gen. Sung Ta, a close associate of President Chiang, has ended the ban on factual reporting on life in China, in the apparent belief that Taiwan can only profit by the comparison. Another example is Wei Yung, currently the head of a research organization under the premier. Wei has put forward the highly controversial "multisystems nation" theory-which would allow Taiwan to merge nominally with China but remain independent in fact-as a possible solution to the problem of reunifi- cation. Several other, younger mainlanders have told US officials privately that they subscribe to a similar notion, the "German formula," for reunification, whereby China is viewed as one nation divided into two political states. It is not clear whether these younger politicians have considered all of the ramifications of such schemes. In particular, they appear unaware of concerns voiced frequently by current Foreign Ministry officials that Taipei's requests for continued US arms sales might be received less sympathetically in Washington if Taiwan were more responsive to Chinese overtures. As these politicians move from their predominantly domestic interests to address foreign policy issues, we expect that their awareness of the complexities of such issues will sharpen. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Other Potential Conflicts. Conflicts between the Tai- wanese and the senior mainlanders could also arise over the nature and pace of economic modernization. Senior economic planners have traditionally yielded to the military's desire to attain self-sufficiency in defense-related industries such as steel and alumi- num. Taiwanese officials closely tied to the island's private economic sector could in the future oppose such expenditures as wasteful and unnecessary. If so, they would find allies among mainlanders such as Chao Yao-tung, director of Taiwan's economic plan- ning agency, who also oppose such projects. In a similar vein, reform of Taiwan's financial institu- tions, which is long overdue, has been blocked by opposition from the security services. Taiwanese busi- nessmen remain frustrated over the unwillingness of the security services, for example, to allow expanded international telex services or freer travel to and from the island-two important prerequisites for reform. Despite the potential for serious disputes, we believe the Taiwanese will continue to exercise the caution and patience that are their hallmarks. Even the most impetuous of the Taiwanese, Vice Premier Lin Yang- kang, recognizes the limits of tolerance for debate at the top. Thus, none of the changes currently advocat- ed by the Taiwanese will occur soon. Over the next five years, we believe the senior mainlanders may, at most, moderate their views slightly toward the posi- tion of the Taiwanese. This moderation would acceler- ate only if the Taiwanese and younger mainlanders succeeded in gaining the support of one or more of the senior mainlanders. Changes during 1981-83 in Tai- pei's policy toward China, for example, including a sharp reduction in rhetoric, were promoted by former Premier Sun, who was strongly influenced by a coterie of younger advisers. Conversely, Sun's incapacitation following a stroke earlier this year put an end to these policies because the young advisers lost their patron. When Chiang Ching-kuo dies, it will mark the end of his family's control of the Kuomintang, as well as of the state and military organizations-control that has existed since the 1920s. Chiang Wei-kuo, report- edly the half brother of Chiang Ching-kuo, has a poor reputation on the island and has held few substantive positions during his career. His performance as an officer in charge of Taiwan's military logistics has been unremarkable, and he was moved last June to a largely ceremonial post. Given his poor reputation, we believe political groups would be unlikely to turn to him, even as a figurehead. Chiang Ching-kuo's children also are poorly posi- tioned to succeed him. His oldest son is physically unable to assume any responsibilities. Chiang has failed to groom the others and has kept their hands far from the levers of power. They are also not well regarded, in part because they are half Russian-an important consideration in racially conscious Chinese society. 25X1 25X1 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Secret The View From Beijing and Implications for the United States Beijing will probably treat the death of Chiang as the beginning of the end of mainlander rule on Taiwan and conclude that his successors-being politically weaker-would be even less inclined to hold reunifica- tion talks. Even so, Beijing probably would make new overtures to Taipei to encourage discussion of reunifi- cation. If Beijing does believe that the successors are weak, it might send private messages to one or more members of the collegium-via intermediaries-pro- posing Chinese support for their political power in exchange for the opening of reunification negotia- tions. We believe such probes would be rejected. At the same time, China might renew pressure on the United States over arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing views as encouraging Taipei's refusal to begin negotiations. Over the longer term, Beijing probably would be uneasy about the emergence of a predominantly Tai- wanese leadership, fearing it would be more likely to declare Taiwan independent. Time is not on Beijing's side. China has long pinned its hopes on reaching an accommodation with the present leadership in Taipei and has tailored its reunification initiatives to appeal more to the mainlander elite than to the Taiwanese majority. In addition, Deng Xiaoping repeatedly has warned that any declaration of independence could lead Beijing to abandon its peaceful reunification policy and possibly to invade the island. If the rising Taiwanese and younger mainlanders are successful in promoting increased contacts with Bei- jing, China's fears might be mitigated. In this case, Beijing would see little need to increase the pressure and might be content, at least for a while, to explore such initiatives with Taiwan. If Beijing does believe that the chances for reunifica- tion are slipping away, and especially if Taiwan continues its policy of no contact with the mainland, Beijing probably will increase the pressure, both public and private, on the United States to end arms sales to Taiwan. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04TOO447ROO0100500001-8 Secret Appendix A KMT Standing Committee (Elected in 1984) 1 Yen Chia-kan 2 Hsieh Tung-min 3 Sun Yun-hsuan 4 Ku Cheng-kang 5 Huang Shao-ku 7 Yuan Shou-chien 8 Kao Kuei-yuan 9 Li Teng-hui 10 Ma Chi-chuang I I Shen Chang-huan 12 Li Kuo-ting 13 Yu Kuo-hua 14 Sung Chang-chih 17 Lin Yang-kang 18 Chiu Chuang-huan 19 Yu Chi-chung 20 Hung Shou-nan 21 Yen Chen-hsing 22 Tsao Sheng-fen 24 Ho 1-wu 25 Ku Chen-fu 26 Lin Ting-sheng 27 Huang Tsun-chiu a 28 Lien Chan a 29 Kao Yu-jen 30 Chang Chien-pang a 31 Hsu Shui-te a 1905 Mainland 1907 Taiwan 1913 Mainland Mainland 1901 Mainland 1904 Mainland 1903 Mainland 1907 1923 Taiwan 1912 Mainland 1913 Mainland Mainland 1916 1917 1926 Taiwan 1925 Taiwan 1909 1911 1917 Taiwan 1919 Taiwan 1934 1929 Former President Former Vice President Former Premier Policy adviser President, Judicial Yuan President, Legislative Yuan Policy adviser Policy adviser Vice President Secretary General, Presidential Office Minister Without Portfolio Chairman, China Times Vice President, Judicial Yuan Chairman, Atomic Energy Council Chairman, Central Daily News Legislator; Secretary General, KMT Central Policy Coordination Committee Secretary General, National Assembly Chairman, Taiwan Cement Corporation Chairman, Tatung Engineering Corporation Vice President, Control Yuan Communications Minister Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04TOO447ROO0100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Appendix B Taiwan Cabinet (Inaugurated on 1 June 1984) 1916 1931 No portfolio Ma Chi-chuang b 1911 Mainland No portfolio Chao Yao-tung a 1915 Mainland No portfolio Kao Yu-shu 1913 Taiwan 1923 1931 a New position in cabinet. b New to cabinet. 1 1, ', Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8 Secret Secret Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/12 : CIA-RDP04T00447R000100500001-8