The results of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) five-day delegation to China continued to cause controversy in the legislature yesterday, with the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticizing the KMT as "jumping on the unification train" and the KMT responding that the DPP should "stop painting the party's efforts red."
"The KMT's unification train has already started. We call on the KMT to stop before the `train' continues toward unification with China," said DPP Legislator Lai Ching-te (
It is clear that the KMT is working towards unification with China, the DPP caucus said yesterday, adding that besides the trip to China by the KMT delegation headed by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤) that ended yesterday, the coming trips by KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to China are "further proof" of the KMT's leanings toward unification.
Chiang is set to go to China in the near future to visit the graves of his ancestors. Lien was invited yesterday by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to make a trip to China in his capacity as KMT chairman.
In response, the KMT said yesterday that the ruling party should look upon Chiang's trip to China from a broader perspective.
It is up to the administration whether to agree to the 10-point consensus for the well-being of the people of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait reached between the KMT delegation visiting Beijing and Chinese authorities, said KMT Vice Chairman and Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Saying the current administration would not have been able to achieve the consensus, Wang added that the agreement -- which details common ground between the KMT and the CCP on a wide range of issues, including cross-strait charter flights, agricultural cooperation, protection for China-based Taiwanese businesspeople, tourism, journalistic exchanges and the opening of the Chinese financial market -- is also crucially important for the government as well as the people in Taiwan.
Any consensus, however, is futile if the administration disregards it, Wang said.
The KMT's legislative caucus said yesterday that the party was only trying to help the Taiwanese people through its efforts.
"The DPP has been continually trying to smear [the KMT] red. This leads us to wonder about their attitude, and we feel that their accusations are very boring," said KMT caucus whip Chen Chieh (
The 35-member KMT delegation, led by Chiang, embarked on its five-day visit Monday, making it the party's first official delegation to visit China.
During its visit, the delegation paid its respects at memorials dedicated to its founder, Republic of China founding father Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) and met with the CCP to produce the 10-point consensus.
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