Lu seeking Chen, Hu talks in US

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday suggested the US government help arrange a meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his future Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), in Washington after Hu becomes the president of China.

Lu said she made the suggestion mainly because she thinks if the two sides of the Taiwan Strait want to have a new development in mutual relations in the direction of peaceful co-existence, the process should start from Washington.

"We must look to Washington for peaceful cross-strait relations to be formed. If the Camp David talks contributed anything to the peace process in the Middle East, Washington should be the starting point for the two sides of the Strait to move toward peaceful co-existence," Lu said.

"As we can see, the Chinese leadership is to be reshuffled in the next few months. If the new Chinese leaders are able to solidify the power given them, I think the US government should seriously consider arranging a meeting between Chen and Hu in Washington," she said.

Lu made the remarks yesterday at a meeting with former US vice president Dan Quayle after he delivered a speech at a luncheon in Taipei. Quayle, representing a US company, is in Taipei for a business visit. It is Quayle's second visit to Taiwan in as many months.

Quayle did not respond directly to Lu's suggestion. He said, instead, that Taiwan could rely on the US president and what he says.

"Taiwan has a very dear friend -- President Bush. He knows people on Taiwan are peace-loving people. He is quite straightforward and is sometimes considered to be a little bit too straightforward," Quayle said.

"I like that straightforward talk. He makes no nonsense. When he says something, he knows he means it," he said.

The most famous straightforward words President Bush has said about Taiwan are, "The US will do whatever it takes to defend Taiwan," a remark Bush made shortly after he took office.

The comments were initially suspected to be lip service only, but Bush proved himself to be a man of his word last April by approving the most significant arms-sales package to Taiwan in decades.

At the meeting with Quayle, Lu also asked for assistance from the US in respect to Taiwan's request to have its president attend the annual leaders' summit meeting of the APEC forum.

"We hope the US will give us a helping hand. We should enjoy the same right as other members of the APEC. We hope President Chen will be able to attend this year's summit meeting of the APEC to be held in Mexico," Lu said.

Quayle chose not to touch on the issue directly. He just said he will pass Taiwan's request to the parties concerned.