Sources from the Presidential Office said yesterday that Pre-sident Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will go to the Central Broad-casting Corporation (CBC) this afternoon to give an exclusive interview.
The CBC's programs are also aired in China and this will mark the first time that a Taiwanese president has been interviewed by the CBC to speak directly to the people of China.
The source also said that President Chen might speak on Taiwan's policy toward China, such as the influence of the recent WTO accenssion on cross-strait interaction and the chances for possible talks between Beijing and Taipei.
"The major theme of the president's interview is to make clear Taiwan's goodwill and our intention to work to improve the cross-strait relationship. The DPP government want residents in China to understand this," the source said.
The interview, which is to be aired later this month, will kick off the 28 episodes of a program called The Path of President Chen Shui-bian (
The CBC will also interview the president's friends, teachers and fellow DPP party members.
The interview will be divided into six or seven parts and broadcast in coordination with other programs. Since this is the first time that an interview with the president has been aired in China, the interview will be preceded by a personal introduction of Chen.
The president's talk will start with his humble family background and move on to his career in politics -- including his rise from a lawyer to head of state.
The source said that the interview was originally proposed by the CBC earlier this year but the President's Office finally agreed to go ahead with it after the president publicized his book last month.
Chen writes in The Premier Voyage of the Century (婷牖"We hope Hong Kong can play the role of a catalyst, a bridge and a balancer. Promoting a visit by Tung Chee-hwa is a priority," the president was quoted as saying in a statement issued the Presidential Office.
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