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Chen supports Wang trip: Wu

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said that President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration fully supports Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng's (王金平) plan to visit China and offered to provide whatever assistance it could to facilitate the trip.

Wu said the administration appreciated Wang's willingness to communicate about his planned visit, in contrast to other opposition leaders who had visited China in the past.

Wu made the remarks in response to a China Times report yesterday which said Wang would visit China sometime next month on behalf of the government and talk with Chinese officials about cross-strait issues.

Wang's itinerary would include a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), the report said.

The report quoted anonymous sources as saying that the issues would include cross-strait cargo flights and opening China to Taiwanese financial institutions.

The report added that Wang was likely to gain authority from the council to finalize details that the two governments have been negotiating.

It also said that Chen had been kept abreast of the details about Wang's forthcoming visit.

Whether the government would recognize any consensus or agreements that Wang might reach with the Chinese authorities during his visit, Wu said it was still too early to speculate.

Responding to allegations that Wang's forthcoming visit to China might have been arranged by the Chinese authorities in an attempt to influence developments in Taiwan's domestic politics, Wu said the government was willing to facilitate Wang's visit because they believe he is more aware than other opposition leaders of the possibility that Beijing may attempt to cause divisions among political parties and that Wang's full cooperation with the administration would help counter such efforts.

Wang yesterday confirmed his intention to visit China but refused to elaborate.

"I have been working on the possibility [of visiting China] for many years. I hope I can make [the trip] at the earliest opportunity," he said.

"I would like to do anything helpful in advancing the country's economic development and improving people's livelihoods," he added.

Wang said he was unable to deny or confirm what the newspaper report had said.

"I acknowledge the report, but only what I have said can be relied upon," he said.

"There are many things I cannot say," he said.

Contrary to Wu's remarks, however, the Presidential Office last night issued a statement, dismissing the report in the China Times as "groundless."

Wang's planned trip to China was not endorsed by the Presidential Office, the statement added.

Former KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed optimism yesterday about improvement in cross-strait relations from Wang's possible trip.

"Ma Ying-jeou has been aiming to improve cross-strait relations and would be glad to see any measures or policies that would contribute to prosperity across the strait," spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said.

Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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