Next month first lady Wu Shu-chen (
Wu's trip will be primarily a cultural one, since she is going to attend the opening of an exhibition in Berlin of a collection from the National Palace Museum. Efforts are underway to arrange for a stopover at the Vatican for Wu's delegation and perhaps elsewhere in Europe. Such a visit would help improve the relationship between the Holy See and Taipei as well as serve to highlight the non-political nature of the trip.
After news of Wu's trip broke, Vice President Annette Lu (
However, Wu does not hold any government office and her trip does not have a political agenda. So, if Beijing is bent on helping Wu's husband get re-elected, it can go right ahead and make its usual round of rude and demeaning gestures. This would only incite resentment and repulsion of the people here against not only China, but also those presidential candidates viewed as pro-China and pro-unification.
There is no reason to doubt Wu's ability to once again win the admiration and respect of friends overseas. She successfully played her role during prior trips, including one to France in 2001 to accept the Prize for Freedom awarded by Liberal International on behalf of her husband, and the historic trip to the US last year. In fact, Wu was among the 29 recipients of the "Asian Heros" Award given by Time magazine earlier this month.
It is good to see Wu embark on a path remarkably different from those of her predecessors. With the notable exception of Soong Mayling (
In this regard, the relationship between Wu and her husband is more like that of former US first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and former US President Bill Clinton. However, thus far, no signs indicate that Wu has ever actively participated in the policy-making process, the way that now US Senator Clinton allegedly did during her husband's presidency.
Will Wu also launch her own political career the way that Senator Clinton did after president Clinton stepped down from the presidency? While she certainly has the potential to become a big political star, no one knows for sure. One thing that is evident, however, is that it is very lucky for both the nation and Chen to have a first lady such as Wu.
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