Tsai offers criteria for negotiators

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday laid down general criteria that would be used in selecting civil groups to assist with the negotiation of direct links with China.

She said such organizations would have to have "credibility, reliability, professionalism and experience."

She also suggested that Wang Yung-ching (王永慶) and Kao Ching-yuan (高清愿) may yet gain the opportunity to negotiate with China, but only if they represent civil organizations.

Further, she said, decisions would take account of "the nature of the issues involved" and "the extent of governmental function and national interest involved."

In a speech to media executives on May 10, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said that "the government may authorize civil organizations to negotiate with China." But the MAC later said that what the president had meant was less "authorize" than "try to get help from private groups while negotiating with the other side."

Tsai, however, declined to elaborate further on the criteria and said that decisions would be made "on a case by case basis."

She stressed however that the government would ensure that the national interest would not be compromised by any conflict of interest on the part of a private organization.

To that end, she said non-profit organizations would be the government's preferred choice.

Tsai made the remarks in the Legislative Yuan yesterday while reporting to lawmakers on the legislature's Home and Nations Committee on the current state of cross-strait relations.

Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), chief of the Taiwan Affairs Office at China's State Council, in the first official Chinese response to President Chen's May 10 remarks, said on Tuesday that "The Chinese authorities would welcome the commissioning by the Taiwanese government of influential Taiwanese businessmen such as Wang ... and Kao ... to talk to the Chinese side on direct cross-strait links."

Wang is the chairman of the Formosa Group (台塑集團) while Kao is the chairman of the Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業). The two corporations have substantial investments in China.

Wang and Kao have publicly urged the government to establish direct links -- transportation, trade and postal links -- with China as soon as possible.

Tsai commented on Chen Yunlin's remarks yesterday, saying that the MAC welcomed China's "positive response," but added that the question of who would represent Taiwan in negotiations with China was a matter for the Taiwanese authorities, not the Chinese side.

Asked whether Wang and Kao were qualified to represent Taiwan in such negotiations, Tsai said that under current regulations, only organizations, not individuals could be authorized to do so.

She said that the government would "maintain flexibility and not rule out any possibility," adding that if the two represented "civil organizations ... it may still be possible for them to do that."

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