In their first direct conversation in four years, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) exchanged pleasantries by telephone ahead of Lien's trip to China, and Lien sought to reassure the president that he would not undercut the government's authority.
Lien used a friendly term to address Chen, but stopped short of calling him "President."
Chen told Lien during the telephone conversation that he was "very happy" that the two could speak, according to a news release issued by the Presidential Office last night, which summarized the phone conversation.
"Chairman Lien first kindly addressed the president as `Brother Shui-bian' (水扁兄) and in response, the president said `How are you, Chairman Lien? [You] are leaving for overseas tomorrow,'" said the news release, which was issued a few hours after their conversation yesterday afternoon.
Chen expressed gratitude to Lien that the KMT chairman was able to understand that any agreements with China involving Taiwan's sovereignty or the government's exercise of power be signed without the government's consent and authorization.
Chen stressed to Lien that the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) are "ruled separately, stand separately, and neither belongs to the other."
"Our attitude is clear: the ROC government is willing to improve relations with the other side of the Strait under the principles of democracy, peace and an equal footing [between the two sides]," Chen said.
Noting that during the trip Lien will meet with high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders, Chen told Lien the government attached importance to the trip.
With that said, Chen expressed hope that Lien would make good observations during his trip to China and that the two men could meet and exchange views upon his return.
Chen told Lien "it is important that both the ruling and the opposition parties establish consensus on cross-strait policy. Although both sides harbor different views in many areas, the more consensus there is on cross-strait policy, the greater our strength."
In response, Lien said "let's work together and strive together," according to the news statement.
The phone conversation between Chen and Lien marked the first time the two have spoke directly since a meeting four years ago.
In line with its custom, Presidential Office spokesman Chen Wen-tsung (
The president's conversations with guests from home and abroad are always recorded and put into the government archives, Chen Wen-tsung said.
According to a statement released by the KMT yesterday night, during his call to Chen, Lien emphasized that all of the KMT's China policies are meant to defend the nation's dignity, ensure the prosperity of the Taiwanese people and defend the Constitution of the Republic of China. He stressed that his trip is being made on a personal basis.
According to the KMT press statement, Lien called Chen's office at 4:10pm yesterday and the two spoke for 11 minutes.
During his conversation with Chen, Lien briefly explained the nature of his trip this week to China and stressed that it will not encroach on areas of government authority.
Lien assured Chen that if there is a positive reaction from China during his trip, the KMT will hand over the results to the government so it can consider whether to take action.
Lien emphasized yesterday that the KMT has long supported the Constitution of the Republic of China, the nation's dignity and the people's happiness. Lien told Chen the 10-point list of proposals agreed on last month were also done for the good of the Taiwanese people. If the government can view the proposals positively, Lien said, the country and society will benefit.
In response to their disagreement on the "1992 Consensus," Lien said yesterday that it was natural in a democracy for ruling and opposition parties to have differing views. Lien also thanked Chen for his statements in recent days in support of his trip.
KMT Spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) said that despite the recent controversy, Lien did not do any "reporting" to Chen in his call. Cheng characterized the call as smooth and natural, and said the conversation was in Taiwanese.
Lien leaves for Nanjing today and will return on May 3. Lien, his accompanying family members and party officials will visit Lien's ancestral home in Xian and meet Taiwanese businessmen in Shanghai. The highlight of his trip will be on Friday, when he meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
RSS