A ranking official of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) criticized Chang Jung-kung (
The MAC official, who asked not be named, said Chang was trying to "use his good connections with the Beijing regime to show his self-importance."
The MAC official would not comment on Chang's statement that China has given Taiwan "more room to maneuver" in its May 14 memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the WHO, on the grounds that he has not seen the full text of the document. He said that he suspects Chang chose to "publicize only part of the full text."
He questioned whether Chang's intention was to help China clear itself of accusations of suppression of Taiwan at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. He equated the action to the KMT leadership's eagerness to visit China soon after Beijing enacted the "Anti-Secession" Law which was widely condemned around the world, and particularly in Taiwan.
The MAC official said that in a democracy, anything involving the exercise of government power should be done with due authorization from the government.
Pointing to what he called the opposition's recent practice of negotiating with the Chinese Communists and then asking the government to recognize their deals, the official said that "this is totally against democracy, and such practices will definitely be swept into the dustbin of history."
In Beijing earlier in the day, Chang disclosed to the media some of the contents of the China-WTO MOU, which he claimed was given to him by China's Taiwan Affairs Office.
Chang said the MOU is an indication that Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) has made good on his word to KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), who presented several key issues to Hu during a historic visit to China earlier in the month, including Taiwan's role in the international health community.
Chang said he is aware that some provisions in the MOU will be controversial in Taiwan, such as the one that says that, if necessary, Taiwanese experts participating in WHO activities can call themselves "health experts from Taiwan, China."
He further said that Hu's goodwill toward Taiwan on the WHO issue "may not be sufficient" and that his party, which has set up a "regular communication channel" with the Communist Party of China, is willing to continue talking with China to advance Taiwan's interests.
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