Addressing one of the potential stumbling blocks to his first day as president, Chen Shui-bian (
In a meeting with Natale Bellocchi, former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Chen brought up the direction of his inauguration speech, which has recently become a major concern locally and internationally.
While much attention has been given to how he will address cross-strait relations in the speech, the president-elect stressed yesterday that his focus would be on domestic issues. The cross-strait issue, he said, "is only one among many issues that I'll raise in my inauguration speech."
PHOTO: CHUANG CHUNG-LUNG, LIBERTY TIMES
However, Chen said the relatively small proportion of the speech devoted to cross-strait relations was not to suggest he has little concern about the issue, but that he believes the extreme complexity of the issue entails a more prudent and delicate approach.
"I know China would never feel satisfied unless we surrender. But as the leader of the nation, I must stand firm on Taiwan's sovereignty, dignity and security," Chen said. "But at least I'll make sure the US will be satisfied with the speech, and international society will appreciate it."
"Even though China might not feel satisfied [with the speech], I'll leave no room for them to accuse us of causing troubles intentionally ... I will convey good will and sincerity to improve cross-strait relations."
Bellocchi, currently in Taiwan to observe the domestic political situation after the presidential election, said the US will start to review its China and Taiwan policies by the end of the year or early next year, after its own presidential election in November.
In the meantime, the former AIT chief told Chen that think tanks in America have become very important because they take part in debates that will affect policy review.
"There are some people in America who understand Taiwan, but too few. And I think Taiwan should be looking for more think tanks -- more people to take part in the debates," Bellocchi said.
During the meeting, Chen also mentioned his meetings with Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) and DPP Chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄), during which cross-strait relations and future political development of the country were major topics.
Chen said both he and Lin are very concerned about the DPP's prospects in the legislative elections for city and county commissioners. To grab a majority of seats in the legislature, Chen said the party has to restructure itself and also to work out its strategies in the incumbent legislature.
Meanwhile, the meeting between Chen and Lee, a key adviser to Chen on cross-strait policies, was said again to have been dominated by cross-strait issues.
Despite Chen's recent attempts to play down the importance of cross-strait issues in his speech, the issue remains a focus of public attention.
"Important as that issue is, people seem less interested in it because there have been too many talks about it and it's very unlikely to generate fresh ideas," said Antonio Chiang, senior political commentator and co-author of Chen's inauguration speech. Chiang is also Editor in Chief of the Taipei Times.
Chiang said the content of the speech is an outline of the new government's policy directions, and it is also a result of concerted efforts from dozens of experts from different fields.
"The lines on the cross-strait issue, which is a highly sensitive issue and has been given lots of attention, have yet to be finalized and we reserve the possibility that they could be changed on the eve of the inauguration day. It all depends on how things go between Taiwan and China during the period," Chiang said.
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