Some statements of support yesterday offset growing discontent among Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators about the appointment of former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) as chair of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).
KMT Legislator Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進) yesterday urged president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to back down from his decision to appoint Lai.
Asked for comment, Lee said many Taiwanese businesspeople based in China had called him and threatened to boycott Ma’s inauguration ceremony this month.
“Ms Lai’s nomination is not an ordinary one and its impact should not be underestimated,” Lee said.
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said Lai would have to step down and Ma would have to apologize to the public for the “wrong appointment” if his plans to open weekend cross-strait charter flights in early July and increase the number of Chinese tourists were compromised as a result.
“Everyone is worried about China’s reaction to Lai’s nomination as the chairwoman,” KMT Legislator Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) said when approached for comment.
“Ms Lai should reject the nomination because she is unacceptable to the pan-blue camp,” Hsu said.
However, acting KMT caucus secretary-general Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) threw his support behind Ma, saying that Lai should be allowed to take up the post.
Hsieh invited Lai to explain her position on cross-strait issues to caucus members in a bid to prevent the controversy from escalating.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) of the KMT also expressed support for Ma’s decision.
“I respect the authority of Mr Ma and premier-designate Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) to appoint personnel,” Hau said. “We should believe in Mr Ma, since there must be some strategic considerations behind the appointment ... and he must be confident in implementing his policies.”
Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋), also a KMT member, said Ma should not be influenced by the TSU when dealing with cross-strait policies, as Ma “has already been elected president.”
“Mr Ma has won the support of more than 7 million voters, which empowers him to set cross-strait policy,” Chou said. “He should not seek a compromise with the TSU.”
In response, Ma spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said yesterday that Lai should be given a chance to prove her ability to execute Ma’s cross-strait policies.
Lo said Ma’s cross-strait policies had not changed, and that the public should trust the president-elect’s choice of Lai as the MAC chairwoman.
Rejecting recent speculation in the Chinese-language media about whether Lai’s appointment would have a negative impact on cross-strait relations, Lo described the reports as “presumptuous.”
It was only to be expected that some appointments would give rise to divergent responses, Lo said.
“Mr Ma will take opinions from all sides into consideration,” he said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), meanwhile, was keeping its distance and said it would watch developments surrounding Lai’s appointment.
DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday afternoon that the DPP had reached a consensus that it would refrain from criticizing Lai or her appointment.
Anger
Continued from page 1
In a show of strength, Lai and Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman-designate Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) last night appeared together for the first time.
“I repeat: My views on cross-strait affairs are synonymous with those of president-elect Ma Ying-jeou,” Lai said.
Lai said that she supported the “one China, different interpretations” approach that constituted the so-called “1992 consensus” and that she agreed with Ma’s “no unification, no independence, no war” policy.
Lai and Chiang said they would work together smoothly.
“The president has direct jurisdiction over cross-strait affairs because he has the final say on all major decisions. The MAC functions like a facilitator to make sure all voices across the spectrum are heard, including those of the public,” Chiang said.
Chiang added that the SEF is the only private organization authorized to negotiate with Beijing.
Lai said although she is a TSU member, she would not take part in party activities during her term.
DPP chairmanship candidate Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) said Lai could use her influence to explain the pro-independence perspective to Beijing, because she would be the only Cabinet official in the KMT administration who is in favor of independence.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih, Jenny W. Hsu and CNA
Also See: EDITORIAL: Et tu, my KMT colleagues?
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS