Hoping to hammer out the details of People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong's (
"The PFP is working for the future of cross-strait relations and to facilitate dialogue between the governments [of China and Taiwan]. We are exerting all our efforts for the Taiwanese people to make a contribution to this land," Chin said yesterday before departing for Beijing via Hong Kong.
At the airport yesterday morning, Chin also said that Soong's trip to China is being made as the chairman of a Taiwanese opposition party and in the spirit of the so-called "1992 consensus."
Accompanying Chin on his trip yesterday were PFP Legislator Lee Yung-ping (李永萍), party policy department head Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), deputy head of the PFP's administrative department Yeh Chia-yu (葉家宇) and deputy communications department head Wu Kun-yu (吳崑玉).
In a statement released by the party Saturday night about Chin's departure, the PFP reiterated its previous stance on Soong's upcoming journey to China. With Taiwan as its top priority and cross-strait peace as its core principle, the PFP hopes to negotiate with China under an atmosphere of mutual respect and sincerity after consolidating the views of both the governing and opposition camps, the statement said.
Soong is expected to visit China within the first 10 days of May. His trip will come on the heels of a similar trip by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
On the KMT side yesterday, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
In regards to the president's attitude on the so-called "1992 consensus," more time is needed to see change, Ma said.
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