DPP appointee sees little change to China policy

Two-term DPP Legislator Chen Chung-hsin (陳忠信), whose relatively pro-China views set him apart from most in the DPP leadership, raised political eyebrows recently when he was appointed director of the party's Chinese Affairs Department.

The move is widely seen as a gesture of goodwill toward China, which has said that it will reject contact with the DPP unless the party alters clauses in its charter that advocate independence for Taiwan.

Playing down his pro-China views, Chen told reporters at a press conference on Thursday, at which the appointments of 12 other administrative officers of the party were announced, that the DPP's China policies weren't likely to change significantly in the future.

"Since collective leadership is a well-established tradition within the party, it's impossible for me alone to change the party's China policy, which is a politically sensitive issue," he said.

Changing the charter

Commenting on China's demand that the party alter its charter to eliminate clauses that advocate Taiwan's independence, he said that there was definitely room for discussion.

"As long as the party reaches a consensus, there's a possibility there," he said.

However, the interaction between Taiwan and China should be based on an equal footing, he said.

"What contributes to the instability across the Taiwan Strait is the structural problem. As both sides have lost trust in each other, you simply cannot change the situation overnight," Chen said. "Although structural differences cannot be resolved, they can be effectively managed."

The DPP's China policies have gradually developed over the years from "marching west" to the "new middle way" to "four no's" and, most recently, the "Tatan talk."

The "four no's" are: no declaration of independence; no changing Taiwan's formal name from the Republic of China; no enshrining in the Constitution of former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) redefinition of cross-strait relations as "state-to-state" in nature; and no endorsing a referendum on independence.

The "Tatan talk" refers to the statement by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) during his inspection of the frontline island of Tatan (大膽島) in May. The islet is a military outpost under Kinmen's jurisdiction.

In his speech, the president said he would push for a high-level DPP delegation to visit China to pursue a resumption of formal cross-strait dialogue after he takes up the post of DPP chairman.

He also promised that the government would further liberalize the "small three links," which Taipei launched in January last year to allow direct transport, trade and postal exchanges between Kinmen and Matsu with Chinese ports.

The president's speech was in response to Beijing's offer to talk to non-independence-minded DPP members.

Time is ripe

Backing the president's stance, Chen Chung-hsin said that the time was ripe for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to sit down and talk about "direct links" as Chinese leaders are set to hand over power to the next generation at the 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party this fall.

"It's such an ideal time to talk about the issue that if no progress is made, both sides will lose momentum," he said.

His remark echoed that of Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), China's top Taiwan policymaker, who told a group of Taiwanese business tycoons visiting Beijing earlier this month that November may be a "turning point" for the two sides to sit down and talk about "direct links."