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Wu denies independence agenda

Newly appointed representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday denied accusations by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators that he was being sent to Washington as President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) independence activist.

Wu said that although his job would involve underlining the fact that Taiwan does not belong to China, this did not mean that he would advocate independence.

Wu yesterday delivered a report on cross-strait affairs, in his capacity as chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), to the Legislative Yuan.

KMT legislators largely ignored the report, preferring to question Wu about his new position and his abilities during the question-and-answer session that followed.

KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) asked if Chen was attempting to create tension between pro-independence and pro-unification groups and to sabotage the cross-strait "status-quo" by appointing Wu as the top envoy to the US.

Wu objected to Ting's remarks.

"Before I took over the chairmanship of the MAC, there were similar accusations against me, and some people even said that war would break out in the Taiwan Strait. But as time has passed, there has been much progress in cross-strait relations," Wu said.

Ting also asked Wu whether he supported a proposal by his uncle, Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), a former senior adviser to the president and a prominent pro-independence advocate.

dual acknowledgement

Ting was referring to Wu Li-pei's advocacy of the concept of "dual acknowledgement," which calls for the government to try to persuade the US to diplomatically acknowledge both Taiwan and China.

Wu Li-pei recently said that this year and the next would be the best time to push the idea.

"That is my uncle's personal opinion and it will not affect my job," Joseph Wu said. "So far I have not received any orders related to this kind of idea."

"Defending the fact that Taiwan does not belong to China is not the same as pushing for Taiwan's independence," he added.

KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said that Joseph Wu's appointment showed that the pro-independence faction dictated Chen's policies toward the US and China, but again the MAC chairman disputed the remarks.

"Promoting Taiwan's interaction with other countries is the point of the job," Joseph Wu said. "If the US chose to recognize the Republic of China, or Taiwan, I do not understand why you [the KMT] would reject this," Joseph Wu said.

`Status quo'

Joseph Wu also said that it was China, not the Taiwanese government, that sought to change the cross-strait "status quo."

"Taiwan has not changed its national title. On the contrary, it is China that has altered Taiwan's official title from the `Republic of China, Taiwan' to `Chinese Taipei' on numerous occasions internationally," Joseph Wu said.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator David Huang (黃適卓) also asked Joseph Wu to answer his question in English, so that he could have the chance to rebut KMT Legislator John Chiang's (蔣孝嚴) criticism that "Joseph Wu speaks English poorly and is not qualified for the job."

"When I applied for my first job in the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University, the director of the institute told me that nobody's English is `good enough,' and that young men need to be humble, and I still have that attitude," Joseph Wu said, speaking in English.
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