Print

Mail

wiki links

Beijing signs 10-point plan with KMT

Taiwan Solidarity Union caucus whip Lo Chih-ming at a press conference yesterday calling on the government not to recognize the ten-point agreement drawn up by the KMT delegation to Beijing headed by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun. PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

The Chinese government invited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to come to China, and Lien will likely make the trip, the KMT said yesterday.

That announcement came at the end of the party's landmark trip to China that also produced a ten-point agreement between Beijing and the KMT late Wednesday night on cross-strait trade, transportation and commercial development.

"Chairman Lien has said many times that he is willing to make a `journey of peace' to China when necessary if it will help further the development of cross-strait peace and the stability of the Republic of China," said KMT Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (林豐正) yesterday night at KMT headquarters. "Chairman Lien will have an extremely positive response to an invitation."

Given that Lien is currently in Japan, Lin said he could not characterize Lien's reaction. However, Lin said he will be in touch with Lien soon and expects the chairman to react positively to the announcement.

Lin spoke in response to the invitation extended to Lien by Jia Qinglin (賈慶林), chairman of the People's Political Consultative Conference, during a meeting with KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤).

Summary of the ten point agreement 1.Both sides agree to push for direct charter flights between China and Taiwan on special holidays. 2.The Chinese government will establish convenient procedures for customs checks and inspections for Taiwanese goods entering the Chinese market. 3.With regard to cooperative efforts between the two sides' agricultural sectors, China is willing to provide support and help to Taiwanese farmers. 4.China is willing to sign an agreement to insure the rights of Taiwanese investing in China. 5.China is prepared to allow Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan. 6.China is willing to consider allowing Taiwanese businesses from the financial, insurance, transportation, medical and other industries to set up and expand in China. 7.The two parties agree to advance media interaction between the two sides. 8.China will restore cooperative efforts with the fishing industries on both sides. 9.Both sides agree to push for greater interaction between regional governments of China and Taiwan. 10.China will look into establishing the same fee standards for Taiwanese students studying in China as for Chinese students, as well as scholarships for Taiwanese students in China.

Chiang, who is heading a 35-member KMT delegation to China, met with Jia yesterday afternoon after paying his party's respects to its revered founder and the founding father of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) at the Sun Yat-sen Cenotaph in Beijing.

Jia told Chiang yesterday that he learned of Lien's desire to visit China from the media. As a result, Jia took the opportunity to invite Lien, in his capacity as KMT chairman, to visit China to open up exchanges across the strait and take another step toward cross-strait peace.

Jia's invitation yesterday was the last in a series of cooperative gestures between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the KMT during the delegation's five-day stay in China.

In addition to Jia's invitation, Chiang's trip was fruitful in other ways, with representatives of the KMT and Beijing appearing together in a late night press conference Wednesday night to present a ten-point list of proposals.

The proposals were announced after a meeting between Chiang and Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, Wednesday night in Nanjing.

After a two-hour meeting following a lavish banquet held for the KMT delegation, KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) and He Shizhong (何世忠), the director of the economic bureau for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, appeared together at a press conference to present 10 preliminary, mutual proposals to expand trade, transportation and business ties between China and Taiwan.

Also yesterday in Beijing, China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (唐家璇) told Chiang that China values the Taiwanese people's wish to join the World Health Assembly and would like to promote the contribution of Taiwanese medical staffs' techniques to the organization based on the status quo.

Responding from Taipei, Taiwan Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) reaffirmed that Taiwan deserves the right to join the World Health Organization (WHO) because the nation is part of the international society.

While in Beijing yesterday, Chiang said that he would be making a report about his trip to the government in Taipei. The KMT delegation is set to arrive back in Taiwan today at 10pm.
This story has been viewed 3729 times.