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MAC criticizes report by Voice of America radio

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday repudiated a report by the Voice of America (VOA) radio station on Tuesday that council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) had urged China to help arrange a meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) by showing more willingness.

The station quoted Wu as saying that Taipei and Beijing should use "the interpretation on the results of the 1992 Hong Kong talks " to resume dialogue.

According to the report, Wu also claimed that the government does not exclude eventual unification with China, saying it is wrong to be of the opinion that the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) only option is independence.

The council issued a press release yesterday complaining that the VOA report only picked out part of Wu's remarks.

It said Wu had actually said that a Chen-Hu meeting could be held when cross-strait tensions are eased.

Wu also said it is impossible for Taiwan to accept the arrangement of such a meeting if Beijing insists on maintaining its "one China" policy, military intimidation and diplomatic obstruction towards Taiwan, as well as demands that the country should accept certain political preconditions.

Under the current hostile relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, Wu said both sides could have closer cooperation if their officials could hold talks on practical matters, including direct charter flights and tourism and agricultural exchanges.

Pointing out that Chen has said that he would agree on the resumption of talks on the basis of the results of the 1992 talks, Wu said that if China wants to show willingness, it should take Chen's words as a concept to rebuild a dialogue channel between the Straits Exchange Foundation and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.

In response to a VOA question on how to eventually resolve the problems related to Taiwan's future, Wu said it is wrong to think that the only option of the DPP is to separate Taiwan from China and cut all ties.
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