DPP moves to quell turmoil within its ranks

The DPP yesterday hoped to cool off an internal debate over the meaning of the "one China" principle after party chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) drew strong criticism for advocating a return to the Constitution's "one China" framework.

In response to the turmoil, members of the party's New Century faction, which has come out against Hsieh's request, said the party should convene a seminar by the end of the year to finalize its definition of the "one China" principle.

"Hsieh's remarks represent not just a concession by the party, but a surrender [on cross-strait negotiations]. The party should stick to what President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) declared [regarding the stance on cross-strait relations] in his inauguration speech on May 20," DPP Legislator and member of the New Century faction Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏) said yesterday, adding that the party's 1999 resolution regarding Taiwan's future should not be violated.

"[The DPP] should sing a single tune [on cross-strait policies] after an internal discussion is completed," Taipei County Commissioner Su Chen-chang (蘇貞昌) told reporters before attending a meeting of the party's Central Standing Committee (CSC, 中常會) yesterday, at which Hsieh offered a report on why he made the comments.

The debate has raged while the party awaits the announcement of a consensus reached by the President's Advisory Group on Cross Strait Relations (兩岸跨黨派小組). "I hope the advisory group will not experience difficulties because of the New Party's withdrawal and the DPP's opposition [to the `one China' principle]," Hsieh said after the meeting, adding that the DPP should not force the ouster of the group's head, Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲).

"For the sake of [Hsieh], we should not attack him every time he makes comments. It's not good for the DPP's image," CSC member and a representative in the cross-strait policy advisory group Trong Chai (蔡同榮) said after the meeting. Chai, however, expressed his strong disagreement with Hsieh's stance on the "one China" principle.

"The meaning of `one China' has strictly been defined as the People's Republic of China in the international community, therefore, we should not fall into the trap," Chai added.

Echoing Chai, DPP Legislator Chen Zau-nan (陳昭南) also said the party chairman's remarks were controversial.

"The `one China' framework does not exist in our Constitution," Chen said.

Despite the strong backlash, a CSC member Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) expressed her support for Hsieh's stance.

"I think Chairman Hsieh has proposed a creative way of thinking for the party's stance on cross-strait relations," Chiu said.