DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (
Chen said that if he won the March 18 election, he would move quickly to select members of a new Cabinet in order to ensure stability.
"The premier should be someone who is accepted by the general public and the international community, a person who can move among the different parties and party factions in the Legislative Yuan effectively," Chen said during a briefing with the Taipei Times. "He or she may not necessarily be drawn from the DPP."
By moving quickly, Chen said, he hoped to "shorten the transitional period and avoid potential instability that might come with a transfer of power."
"Such an individual [the prospective premier] should be able to maintain a stable government and also initiate major reforms," Chen said.
However, drawing on the resources of other parties did not signal the establishment of a coalition government, Chen said, but rather that of a "cross-party" government.
To help promote Taiwan's international image and increase peace and stability in the Pacific region, Chen said that after he has chosen a Cabinet and before being inaugurated in May, he would try to travel abroad to as many "important countries" as possible, including China.
"I hope that I will be able to go to China to show sincerity and willingness to improve cross-strait relations," Chen said.
Chen added that, if elected, he would extend a sincere welcome to Jiang Zemin (江澤民) and Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基) to visit Taiwan.
However, when asked what structural and mechanical changes he would make to help improve relations across the Taiwan Strait, Chen did not specify whether he would call for the abolition of the Straits Exchange Foundation (海基會) and other cross-strait institutions, as he has proposed in the past.
"The most important thing is to establish communication of some kind," Chen said.
Chen did not hesitate to point out that the National Unification Council and its guidelines were "outdated" and still used "principles the government does not actually abide by or implement."
The council was established in 1990 by President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), and in 1991 it mapped out Taiwan's guidelines for unification with China. The guidelines defined the cross-strait relationship as "one China, two equal political entities."
The DPP on the other hand has long advocated the "historical and political truth" that Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country.
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