The National Unification Guidelines endorses the One China policy before any other statements: "Both the mainland and Taiwan are parts of Chinese territory.
However, the document emphasized that unification must "first respect the rights and interests of the people in the Taiwan area, and protect their security and welfare".
A more radical earlier draft emphasized the "will", rather than the "rights", of the people in Taiwan, but this wording was changed at the insistence of ROC premier Hau Pei-tsun.
Additionally, the requirement for a "free, democratic" China to even consider unification precluded negotiations with the Chinese Communist Party currently in power on the mainland.
Without the legal constraints of the NUG, Chen's successor, President Ma Ying-jeou, has been able to usher in an era of unprecedented exchanges between mainland China and Taiwan since 2008.