KMT heavyweight goes to China to arrange Lien trip

Paving the way for a trip to China, it was confirmed yesterday that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (林豐正) spent the last two days in Beijing arranging the details of KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) visit.

In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) reiterated yesterday that Lien could face legal action upon his return home should he sign any agreements in China.

Despite KMT denials last week that Lin would make a trip to China this week, Chinese-language media reported yesterday that Lin had quietly left Taipei Tuesday to settle the details of Lien's visit to China.

CONFIRMATION

During a phone interview with the Taipei Times, KMT spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) confirmed the reports and said that Lin would be back by yesterday night at the latest.

While Cheng confirmed that the purpose of Lin's trip was to arrange Lien's trip, she was unable to say what kinds of results the KMT was anticipating from the Lin trip.

While media reports speculated that Lien's journey might take place either in early next month or late this month, Cheng would only say that the KMT is "eliminating no possibilities" for the trip's date.

Besides Lin, the other members of the delegation were Chang Che-chen (張哲琛), chief of the KMT's Administration Management Committee, and the head of the KMT's culture and communication's committee, Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭).

FOCUS

Since Lien recieved an invitation from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in March to make a visit, the timing and details of his trip have been a focus of attention in the nation's political scene.

While the KMT has stated that it does not need the government's blessing to visit China, the administration has urged the KMT to discuss the matter with the appropriate agencies and has looked into the legality of the ten proposals produced by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Ping-kun's (江丙坤) recent visit to China.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) however held its ground, reiterating that if Lin signed any agreements with Beijing during his trip there it would look into whether he was in violation of the Act Governing Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例).

"Taiwan's democracy was not so easily achieved. Following the rules of the game is crucial to upholding our democracy, and in democratic politics, the ruling party has a role, as does the opposition party. Our democracy would be wiped out in a day if the opposition party takes on the ruling party's role and then forces the ruling party to accept this," council head Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said, responding at the legislature yesterday to media queries regarding Lin's trip.

Wu said however that if Lin's trip was just an informal exchange, the government would not put up any opposition. He warned however that cross-strait interaction should take place within legally stipulated boundaries.

Beijing's Cabinet-level Taiwan Affairs Office denied any knowledge of Lin's arrival in China yesterday however, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.

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