DPP promotes party politics overseas by sending delegates

The DPP is promoting party politics overseas by becoming actively involved in numerous international conferences in the upcoming months.

The series of intensive activities will begin when the party's secretary-general, Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), starts his one-week visit to Japan on Saturday, which will be followed by a visit to Vladivostok, Russia in early September to attend an Investment Symposium sponsored by the APEC, where Taiwan is one of the 21 member economies.

APEC was established in 1989.

The GDP for APEC economies for 2000 was US$17,921 billion and APEC's percentage of global trade in 2000 was 46.76 percent.

In Japan, Chang will take part in a symposium on cross-strait relations and give a speech at the Tokyo-branch of the "Alliance of Global Peace and Democracy," an organization formed by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (僑委會.)

From Sept. 27 to Sept. 28, director of the DPP's international affairs department Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴,) along with some members of the DPP's central committee, will participate in an executive committee meeting of Liberal International in Gibraltar.

During the meeting, the delegates will find out whether Taiwan will become the third member in Asia of this London-based association of liberal parties, following the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka and the Liberal Party of the Philippines.

A global federation of liberal parties founded in Oxford in 1947, the group unites 84 liberal parties from 67 countries on six continents.

Hsiao has said there is a high chance the party will become a member because there has been very little objection from members of the executive committee. China's Communist Party is not a member of the organization.

In October, the DPP will receive guests from the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the European Liberal, Democrats and Reformers.

The two groups will visit Taiwan before they participate in a transatlantic dialogue meeting in Seoul.

Taiwan will then join the conference in Korea.

Founded in 1993 to promote peace and economic prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, CALD has eight party members. Taiwan will be the host country for its annual meeting next year.

Although DPP Chairman Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was listed as a guest member, it is widely believed that he can't make the trip due to Korea's strong ties with China.

The party still hasn't selected its representatives.