Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that the DPP will not rule out having contact with China as long as such contact is made on an equal footing. But Shu Chin-chiang (
Yu and Shu made the remarks in response to reports that Chinese officials have been urged to contact Taiwan's "pan-green hardliners." According to Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po, Jia Qinglin (賈慶林), the chairman of China's People's Political Consultative Conference, which met in Beijing on Sunday, asked other attendees to take advantage of opportunities to "contact members of the pan-green camp in Taiwan, including `hardliners.'"
"The DPP does not reject contact with China, as long as such contact is based on a standpoint of equality. But we want to tell China that the fundamental solution for cross-strait relation is to initiate government-to-government negotiation," Yu said.
PHOTO: CNA
Yu made the remarks while visiting Shu to discuss the DPP's cooperation with the TSU for a rally scheduled for March 18. The march aims to express support for the "cessation" of the National Unification Council and protest against China's "Anti-Secession" Law, which was enacted a year ago.
"We strongly advise China to enter into dialogue with Taiwan's government, which is elected by the people of Taiwan," Yu said.
But Shu was lukewarm about Jia's remarks, saying that the TSU continues to insist that Taiwan and China are "one country on either side" of the Taiwan Strait.
"There is no room for compromise," Shu said. "China can do whatever it says. We hold fast to what we've been working on ... We won't take [Jia's statement] to heart."
Shu added that he hoped the government could "do more and say less" when it come to changing the national title to "Taiwan" and writing a new constitution.
But Shu did pledge his party's full support for the March 18 rally, and said the TSU will help by calling on at least 100,000 people.
Yu said that he will invite former president Lee Teng-hui (
President Chen Shui-bian (
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