The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) signed a secret accord before last year's presidential election, paving the way for senior KMT officials to visit China, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus alleged yesterday.
KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun's (
The DPP caucus also called on Chiang, who is due back tomorrow, not to sign any agreement with the Chinese government, saying that he could face life imprisonment were he to do so.
PHOTO: LIAO CHENG-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
DPP caucus Secretary-General Chen Chin-jun (
The parties agreed to arrange meetings for high-ranking KMT officials, including Lien. They also agreed to form a unification committee, and push for direct links and the signing of a peace accord.
Despite Lien's losing the election, the agreement has gradually materialized as evidenced by three recent incidents, Chen said.
The first was Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
Second, the KMT sent a delegation on Monday led by Chiang to visit China with the hope of pushing for cooperation and reconciliation with the CCP.
Chiang's visit will be followed by Lien's visit to China in June, when he is scheduled to hold a summit with Chinese Communist Party Secretary-General Hu Jintao (
Chen said that the KMT owes the public an explanation as to whether the delegation's purpose in visiting China is to "sell out Taiwan."
"I'd like to know what kind of deal the KMT strikes with the CCP, and what it will trade with China for its own gain," he said.
Hsu Kuo-yung (
Article 113 of the Criminal Code stipulates that persons not authorized by the government who take the liberty of signing a contract or agreement with a foreign government are subject to a minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
DPP caucus whip Lai Ching-teh (
"I hope the KMT sees clearly what the Chinese government is up to and refrains from falling into the snare set up by China," Lai said.
While over 90 percent of Taiwanese people say they oppose China's "Anti-Secession" Law, and the legislature has passed a resolution condemning the bill, Lai said that the KMT is sending the wrong message to China by sending a delegation there.
In response, KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun (
"Such a groundless and audacious charge is defamatory and slanderous," she said.
"Instead of dampening our enthusiasm to do something for the country, I hope the DPP government recognize the effort we put in to better cross-strait relations, since it cannot, refuses to or doesn't have the guts to do anything," she said.
While President Chen Shui-bian (
"What the DPP is good at is nothing but fabricating unwarranted accusations and smearing others' reputations," he said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
The National Immigration Agency has banned two Chinese from returning to Taiwan, after they published social media content it described as disrespectful to national sovereignty. The agency imposed a two-month ban on a Chinese man surnamed Liang (梁) and a permanent ban on a woman surnamed Yang (楊), an influencer with 23 million followers, in October last year and last week respectively. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting that Chinese visitors to Taiwan are required to comply with the rules and regulations governing their entry permits. The government has handled the ban and