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KMT lawmaker denies secret meeting in China

"We also know that Lee Chuan-chiao went to China again on Feb. 12 this year to see top Chinese officials about the election and the referendum."

Lee Wen?chung, a DPP legislator

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) yesterday denied accusations he met top Chinese officials to talk about reunification on behalf of party chairman Lien Chan (連戰).

The denial was in response to charges by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that Lee went to visit then Chinese vice premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) and a higher-ranking official surnamed Hu -- an obvious reference to Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) -- last year as Lien's secret envoy.

The DPP said Lee made the visit to talk about Lien's firm stand on the so-called 1992 consensus (one China, with each side having its own interpretation), direct-links, peaceful negotiation and reunification.

The DPP caucus showed a letter written by Lee on Feb. 10 last year and addressed to a "Professor Lee."

In the letter, Lee Chuan-chiao asked professor Lee to arrange a meeting between him and top Chinese officials to discuss issues related to "peace and stability in cross-strait politics, transportation and economics."

The DPP caucus said professor Lee was Lee Chin-po (李金波), who had a relative Li Jinai (李繼耐) serving as China's top military official. The DPP said Lee Chin-po was able to arrange for Lee Chuan-chiao to meet the Chinese officials.

According to the DPP, Lee Chuan-chiao went sightseeing in China with his fellow caucus members on Feb. 16 last year, but Lee left the group on Feb. 21 to fly to Beijing.

"Lee Chuan-chiao met Qian in the morning of the 23rd in a hotel, and then he met the official of a even higher rank in the afternoon at that official's home," DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) said.

Lee Wen-chung also said that the unnamed official sent Huang Huizhen (黃惠珍), an official of the US Republican Party, to inform Lee Chuan-chiao of the meeting in the afternoon.

The DPP caucus refused to identify the official although that official was identified as someone surnamed Hu in the press release.

The DPP caucus said Chinese authorities later sent Huang to see Lien at the urging of Lee Chuan-chiao. Huang brought messages from China to Lien on March 20 last year, the DPP caucus said.

"We also know that Lee Chuan-chiao went to China again on Feb. 12 this year to see top Chinese officials about the election and the referendum," Lee Wen?chung said.

Lee Chuan-chiao first showed little recognition of the letter when confronted by the allegations but later admitted he wrote it without remembering much of the contents. He said he did not really know Lee Chin-po, but wrote the letter under the request of Hsu Chung-chin (許重敬), who claimed to be a DPP heavyweight.

"After I revealed the Zanadau scandal, one day Hsu came to me to say that he had evidence about DPP scandals and said he wanted to join the blue camp. I checked and he seemed to have some evidence indeed," Lee Chuan-chiao said.

"Later he told me that he could arrange for me to meet Chinese officials like he did for DPP legislators Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), and I thought if it had been for the benefit of the people on the two sides, why not, so I agreed," Lee Chuan-chiao said.

Lee Chuan-chiao said that Hsu asked him to write a letter to Lee Chin-po to take advantage of Lin Chin-po's connections.

"When I went to China, Hsu called and said he could arrange for me to meet the top officials, so I flew to Beijing. But I ended up seeing no one, and I just had a good time in Beijing doing sightseeing," Lee Chuan-chiao said.

He added that he went to China last week to gather evidence on illegal actions by top DPP officials.
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