Senior DPP official slams lawmakers' China trip plan

Five Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) lawmakers said late yesterday that they would rethink their plan to go to China for a a forum, after coming under strong criticism from senior party officials.

This is not the proper time for the DPP lawmakers or party officials to visit China since the invitations from Beijing at this moment are very likely to be part of its "unification war" against Taiwan, DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said yesterday.

Lee's comments came in response to news that five DPP legislators -- Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬), Charles Chiang (江昭儀), Julian Kuo (郭正亮), Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Yu Jane-daw (余正道) -- were planning to attend the forum on cross-strait economics and finance.

"Although the party does not prohibit our lawmakers from going to China with a proclamation in black and white, obviously, it is not a suitable time for party officials and lawmakers to go to China," Lee said.

"China fever in Taiwan is just too over-heated and they [the five legislators] should think twice about their trip to China," he said.

Lee said China has taken a two two-pronged approach to Taiwan ever since it passed an "Anti-Secession" Law.

"On the one hand, China rejects any contact or negotiation with Taiwan's government and negates Taiwan's government, and on the other hand, China has launched a unification war against Taiwan," Lee said.

He said that elements in this unification war includes the trips to China by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), Beijing's offer to import more Taiwanese fruit, its offer of free trips to city councilors and the upcoming forum.

"We think that visits by DPP government officials and party officials to China will not be a plus for Taiwan. On the country, they will harm Taiwan's autonomy and degrade its status," he said.

"We do not encourage DPP members go to China en masse at this moment," he said.

He said the DPP has been pursuing the normalization of cross-strait relations. However, such interactions should be structured under the principles of equality, democracy and peace so that Taiwan's interests and rights can be ensured, he said.

Beijing's insistence on the "one China" principle and the non-existent "1992 consensus" are the "major obstacles to the cross-strait interaction," Lee said.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) also voiced his disapproval yesterday of the lawmakers' planned trip.