World Notes

It has taken four decades, but finally the Nationalists in Taiwan have admitted that they lost the civil war in China. Announcing the lifting of wartime provisions in Taiwan last week, President Lee Teng-hui conceded, "From now on, we must accept the reality that the communists control the mainland." He even called the Beijing regime a "political entity," bold words for a leadership that once referred to Deng Xiaoping & Co. as "rebel usurpers."

In the past four years, Taipei has promoted informal ties with Beijing, permitting its citizens to visit the mainland and sanctioning indirect trade across the Taiwan Strait. But, the Nationalists warn, their latest peace offering must be answered in kind by Beijing before tensions ease any further.

Taiwanese politics will be significantly affected by the abrogation of the antiquated laws, which gave the President almost unchecked emergency powers and allowed hundreds of aged parliamentarians, who were last elected on the mainland 44 years ago, to remain in office. At one stage, the debate over the reforms grew so heated that a free-for-all erupted in parliament. In the end, it was decided that a new National Assembly would be elected in December. Eighty seats, however, will be reserved for mainland representatives, proving that the Nationalists are not yet ready to give up every shred of their claim to China.