Guidelines for National Unification

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The Guidelines for National Unification (Chinese: 國家統一綱領; pinyin: Guójiā Tǒngyī Gānglǐng) were written by the National Unification Council, an advisory body of the Republic of China government, regarding the reunification of China. The Guidelines for National Unification were adopted by the Executive Yuan Council on February 23, 1991. The guidelines have a three step process for the gradual unification of mainland China and Taiwan.

The Guidelines for National Unification declared both sides of the Taiwan Strait to be Chinese territory, which paved the groundwork for the so-called "1992 Consensus" and the Wang-Koo Talks between two sides. The first stage called for increased exchanges between the two sides. The second stage called for the opening of the three links and visits by high-ranking officials on both sides for negotiations on equal footing. The final stage called for a consultative organization to be formed for the two sides to map out a constitutional arrangement for unification under a "democratic, free, and equitably prosperous China."

As part of the Four Noes and One Without pledge, President Chen Shui-bian had promised not to formally abolish the Guidelines for National Unification or the National Unification Council despite his party's supportive stance on Taiwan independence. In his Chinese New Year address on January 29, 2006, President Chen Shui-bian proposed abolishing the Guidelines for National Unification and the National Unification Council. On February 27, 2006, Chen formally announced that the guideline would "cease to apply" and the council would "cease to function". The United States initially warned Chen not to abolish either the council or the guidelines, but later refused to condemn him because it believed the absence of the term "abolish" was not a breach of the status quo. However, Chen was widely condemned by the People's Republic of China, which warned that Chen "would bring disaster to Taiwan society." The Pan-Blue Coalition also condemned the move as unnecessarily provocative, arguing that Chen needed to focus on economic issues in the face of a growing unemployment and suicide rate, and some legislators started a petition to have Chen impeached. Chen defended his action as a response to the military threat from mainland China.