Chiou finds no change in Beijing`one China' credo

Returning from a nine-day trip to the US yesterday, the DPP's chief representative to Washington, Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), dampened speculation that China is willing to relent on its insistence that Taiwan abide by its definition of "one China."

The comments came as another DPP representative said the party would use goodwill to thaw Taipei's relations with Beijing.

Maintaining a low profile throughout his visit, Chiou was reluctant yesterday to comment on the details of his itinerary, confirming only that he had met with US government officials.

Chiou had said before leaving on the trip that he had planned it far in advance and would be attending an international security affairs conference.

But following the March 18 election victory by Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), it had been widely speculated that he would also use the occasion to make contact with officials in the Clinton administration.

Chiou yesterday also dismissed US media reports suggesting that China is considering a reversal to the 1992 consensus that allows both sides to hold its own interpretation of what is "one China."

"We don't know yet [whether Beijing is willing to do so]," he said.

"Beijing appears to have tried to pass on a message through Sandy Berger ... but further communication is needed so we can gain a better understanding of the issue," Chiou said.

US National Security Adviser Sandy Berger visited Beijing last week, where he urged constraint and affirmed Washington's "one-China" policy.

Meanwhile, Chiou also dismissed speculation that he is to head the National Security Council (NSC).

He urged Yin Tsung-wen (殷宗文), the current NSC secretary-general who is on sick leave, to remain at the post.

He also denied there was any truth to a recent Washington Post report claiming the DPP had used a friend of Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) to deliver a message to leaders in Beijing.

"Mr [Jeremy] Stone travels between Taiwan, China and the US frequently, but I don't think he is representing anybody," Chiou said.

The Post reported that Jeremy Stone, president of the Federation of American Scientists and a close friend of Lee's, met with President-elect Chen before traveling to Beijing last week.

Regardless, the DPP has reportedly decided to continue holding out an olive branch to China -- despite Beijing's expected rebuff of its invitation to Wang Daohan (汪道涵) to attend Chen's May 20 inauguration.

According to a recent report in a pro-Beijing newspaper in Hong Kong, the Wen Hui Daily, an official from the Taiwan Affairs Office under China's State Council said the title of "President of the Republic of China" is fictitious and that there is no way Beijing would send someone to Chen's inauguration.

Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), a DPP lawmaker and head of the new government's transition team, said yesterday that Taiwan would continue to show its goodwill to China regardless of what its leaders have said.

Wang had been expected to pay a ground-breaking visit to Taiwan last year, but canceled after President Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) "special state-to-state" comments last year sent cross-strait relations spinning.