Saying they acted with the best of intentions, national policy advisors Hsu Wun-pin (許文彬) and Chuang Po-lin (莊柏林) yesterday said their petition last week to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to acknowledge "one China" was based on their understanding of Beijing's bottom line concerning Taiwan. They also said that Chen had consented to their holding open talks with high-ranking Chinese officials.
"We drew our conclusions from several meetings with Chinese officials. And the petition only aimed to facilitate an immediate resumption of cross-strait dialogue," Chuang said, adding that it didn't contravene the government's cross-strait policies.
Hsu also said that he had informed Chen in advance of his intended June 10 China trip to attend a seminar held in Qingdao (青島), Shandong Province. He said Chen gave a written go-ahead. Hsu denied that it was a secret visit, as the media had reported.
Hsu and Chuang, joined by twelve other national policy advisors, last week petitioned the president to firmly acknowledge "one China under the framework of the ROC Constitution." The proposal, however, was later flatly rejected by 36 other influential figures including senior advisors Koo Kuan-min (辜寬敏) and Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文). DPP advisor Fan Jen-hui (方仁惠) said that the "one China" principle was a trap set by Beijing to diminish Taiwan's status and that the petition was extremely inappropriate.
In response, Chuang said, "Taiwan can proclaim its acknowledgement of one China under the framework of the ROC Constitution. If China refuses to accept this, then China must take the blame."
Hsu, moreover, said the proposal had been endorsed by DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (
He added, "Those who have never been to China, cannot precisely capture the complications that exist in the cross-strait relationship and therefore any revisions to policies that they propose may be inappropriate."
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