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PFP says Soong has no timetable for visit to China

No timetable has been set for a visit to China by People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and it is "meaningless" for Soong to do so now at a time when Taiwan lacks a national consensus on the issue, PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-ping (謝公秉) said yesterday.

Hsieh claimed that Soong will pay a visit to China but pointed out that "there is not a fixed timetable" on the issue.

Soong will head for China only when a national consensus is forged on the question of whether political parties should visit China now that Beijing has enacted its "Anti-Secession" Law targeting Taiwan.

WAITING ON THE DPP

According to Hsieh, Soong hopes to visit China to help break the ice between the two sides. But it would be pointless for Soong to go if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) "has not made up its mind whether it is willing to reconcile" with China.

Since Soong met President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on Feb. 24 and made public a 10-point agreement promising to maintain the national title of the Republic of China and not declare Taiwan independence in a concerted effort to ease tension across the Taiwan Strait, the government has not done anything concrete to serve those ends, Hsieh claimed.

It would be meaningful for Soong to visit China only if a consensus is reached in Taiwan and if all the parties concerned can manage to work out feasible measures, he said, reiterating that the ruling and opposition camps should respect each other and give national interests precedence when seeking rational and workable resolutions to cross-strait disputes.

RESPECTING THE GOVERNMENT

The opposition should respect the government's authority and mandate, while the government should respect the opposition camp's efforts, he said, adding that it is very important for both sides to exchange views.

Turning to a government plan to take legal action to deal with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤) for reaching a 10-point consensus with Chinese Communist Party officials without notifying the government, Hsieh claimed that it is inappropriate for the government to handle a political issue through legal means.
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