Approaching the end of his first year as premier, Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that Taiwan was prepared for talks with China on direct links and for any fallout from a US-led attack on Iraq.
But, in an apparent attempt to placate the DPP's tiny ally the TSU, he said that final approval for investments by the country's largest chipmaker in a plant in China would come only after complimentary laws had been passed.
Responding to a question posed at a press conference held to celebrate his first year in office, Yu called on China to resume cross-strait dialogue as soon as possible following Sunday's historic indirect charter flight between Taipei and Shanghai.
"We're ready to sit at the negotiation table to talk with our Chinese counterparts," he said. "There's no bottom line regarding the time, issue and place as long as the negotiations are conducted under the principles of sovereignty, equality and dignity."
Although opening direct transportation links is one of President Chen Shui-bian's (
"Direct links are not a panacea for Taiwan's flagging economy. The opening of direct transportation links has to be achieved via talks and negotiations," Yu said. "We have to tackle the matter very carefully because it's not beneficial to every industry."
A China Airlines plane flew to Shanghai on Sunday, the first Taiwanese carrier to land in China in more than 54 years. It brought 243 mainly Taiwanese businessmen back to Taiwan the same day.
Yu said the flight had been successful and that the government might consider allowing charter flights for other holidays, such as the dragon boat and mid-autumn festivals.
However, Yu said he could not guarantee further flights until a thorough review had been conducted of the Lunar New Year's charter flights.
Addressing increasingly vehement opposition from the TSU over the government's preliminary approval of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's US$898 million investment in an 8-inch wafer manufacturing plant in China, Yu said that the government would not give final approval until the legislature passes the national technology protection law (國家科技保護法).
"I believe the technology protection bill will pass in time, while we're conducting the second-phase review of the application, during the next legislative session," Yu said.
The bill has been held up in the legislature on procedural technicalities. Lawmakers across party lines, including DPP legislators, have criticized the bill as "lax" and "oversimplified."
In addition to threatening to list the premier as a persona non grata in the legislature for the next legislative session, TSU lawmakers have vowed to prohibit Yu from giving his report to the Legislative Yuan when it convenes on Feb. 27 if the government doesn't modify its decision.
TSU members were scheduled to meet with Yu today to voice their objections to the government's preliminary approval of the plan.
Commenting on pro-independence groups' aggressive campaign to change the nation's official name to Taiwan, Yu reiterated that the country's official designation is Republic of China.
With the US building up forces in the Persian Gulf for a conflict in Iraq, Yu said the government had come up with five principles to prepare for a US invasion there.
"First, we fully support international anti-terrorist initiatives," he said. "In addition, we'll stabilize political and economic order, maintain stability across the Taiwan Strait, prevent terrorist activities and maintain the safety of Taiwanese overseas."
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