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MAC chairman gives background briefing to BBC TV

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) discussed the major differences between the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP's) China policy and that of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in an interview on Sunday with BBC's Hardtalk producer.

Talking to Sian Giffiths, producer of the daily current affairs TV program, in a 50-minute phone interview, Wu elaborated on the differences between the two parties' policies on the development of cross-strait relations.

Wu said the DPP wants to beef up Taiwan's defense capability to deal with China's rapid military buildup in the Taiwan Strait in recent years. The KMT, however, has turned a blind eye to China's military threat and has blocked an arms procurement bill from clearing the legislature more than 40 times since mid-2004, he said.

The DPP has been doing its best to seek entry for Taiwan in major world bodies, including the UN and the WHO, Wu said. The KMT, on the other hand, has not spoken out against China's attempts to suppress Taiwan in the international community, he said.

He said the KMT did not protest the fact that KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was unable to visit Athens on his current European tour due to Beijing's pressure.

Taiwan's status is the most subtle and most sensitive issue that differentiates the DPP from the KMT, Wu said. The DPP upholds Taiwan's sovereignty as an independent nation, while the KMT remains ambiguous in this regard, and both former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Ma have accepted Beijing's "one China" principle in public, he said.

Griffiths interviewed Wu on the government's China policy prior to an interview scheduled with Ma.
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