Government won't formalize the DPP's cross-strait stance

A top DPP official who manages Chinese affairs said yesterday that the DPP's 1999 "Resolution on Taiwan's Future" (台灣前途決議文) will not be turned into formal government documents.

Chen Chung-hsin (陳忠信), director of the DPP's Chinese Affairs Department, made the remarks at a seminar in which DPP, PFP and KMT top officials in charge of China policies were invited to debate President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) remarks made on Aug 3.

Despite President Chen urging the public to consider the importance and urgency of creating a law on referendums, Chen Chung-hsin said the party has no plan to let the resolution be adopted as official guidelines for the government. "Both ruling and opposition political parties still have to look for a consensus on cross-strait policy," he said.

"The DPP wishes to keep our attitude open toward relations between Taiwan and China," he added.

The DPP's resolution stipulates that Taiwan is an independent state whose name is the ROC, and that any change regarding this status quo must be collectively determined through a public referendum.

Chen Chung-hsin reiterated that the government's cross-strait policy remains unchanged and the DPP insists that the ROC is a sovereign independent country.

But Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), director of the PFP's policy coordination center, said president Chen's remarks worried the public because apparently a sophisticated mechanism to make decisions on cross-strait policy has failed to be established.

"There were only a few who knew he was about to make such remarks on Aug 3. The reckless decision showed the shortcomings of the DPP's cross-strait decision-making process," Chang said.

Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭), head of the Mainland Affairs Division under the KMT's Policy Committee, interpreted Chen's remarks as gradually strengthening Taiwan's attitudes toward China.