A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus leader yesterday demanded that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) disclose the contents of an alleged "secret agreement" that KMT officials reportedly forged with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
Party whip and Legislator Lai Ching-teh (賴清德), said at the Legislative Yuan yesterday the DPP caucus is opposed to the KMT forging a "secret accord" with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that could jeopardize Taiwan's future.
The press has reported that KMT Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (
PHOTO: CNA
Lai said he wants the KMT leadership to make known immediately the details of the Hong Kong meeting, including which Chinese officials they met and the specific details of the meeting.
Lai called for Lien, as chairman of Taiwan's largest opposition party, not to act "tempestuously like spoiled child" in his efforts to go to China and meet with Chinese officials, saying that the KMT should have learned from the "bloody lessons" of two rounds of "reconciliation" talks with the Chinese communists before the KMT government fled to Taiwan more than 50 years ago.
Meanwhile, Legislator Chen Chin-jun (
These include that Lien meet with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) before the trip, that Lien swear not to strike any "secret agreement" with China, the entire China trip be open to cameras and reporters, that Lien make known that he is representing only "part" of Taiwanese public opinion, he let Beijing know that Taiwan independence is a possible option in the development of cross-strait relations, and that the "one country, two systems" scheme is unacceptable.
Chen Chin-jun said that Lien should meet at least six of the 10 conditions, claiming that if he only meets three or less, he should be considered "a traitor deserving nationwide condemnation."
In response, the KMT denied that party officials had forged a secret agreement with the CCP at Wednesday's meeting in Hong Kong.
Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday that Lien's trip to China could "de-governmentalize" cross-strait dialogue to the nation's detriment.
"In terms of cross-strait dialogue and exchange, we've already accumulated a substantial amount of experience under different administrations and built a framework for interaction. The government does not want to see the fundamentals of cross-strait interaction damaged as a result of an opposition party's trip to China," council Vice Chairman Johnnason Liu (
He said the government feared the trip would shift cross-strait negotiations toward the private sector, saying that interaction would become "de-governmentalized."
Liu explained that agricultural trade between Taiwan and China could have been easily conducted within the framework of the WTO and that bypassing the government had complicated the matter.
"If Chinese authorities really want to express good will ? they should face Taiwan's 23 million people, not just one particular political party, and an opposition party, no less," Liu said, adding that it was clear that China had ulterior motives in dealing with opposition parties instead of the government.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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