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Chen slams Lien's collaboration

"When China says they will only talk to Taiwan if Taiwan accepts that there is `one China' and agrees to assimilation, what do you do if you were the president of Taiwan?"

-- President Chen Shui-bian

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday lashed out at opposition parties and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) for collaborating with Beijing and boycotting the government budget.

"I am amazed that the opposition parties prefer kowtowing to China to engaging in dialogue with the administration," Chen said. "It also baffles me that KMT legislators prefer attending a forum in Beijing to reviewing government budgets."

Chen made the remarks during a question-and-answer session of a video conference held with German academics, politicians and reporters yesterday afternoon.

While Lien, who is in China for an economic forum, is likely to sign an agreement with the Chinese government, Chen said that the event was part of Beijing's plan to create divisions in Taiwanese society and urged Lien and opposition parties to refrain from falling into China's trap.

Any document signed between a political party and a foreign government without first obtaining the approval of Taiwan's elected government is illegitimate, Chen said.

"When the opposition parties say they will only talk or cooperate with you only if you let them form the government, what do you do?" he asked.

"If your platform is to let the opposition party form the government, do you think the electorate will give you their vote?" Chen asked.

"When China says they will only talk to Taiwan if Taiwan accepts that there is `one China' and agrees to assimilation, what do you do if you were the president of Taiwan?" he asked.

Chen said Taiwan could learn a great deal from the integration of East and West Germany and the EU.

He emphasized, however, that there could be no integration between China and Taiwan if China continues to refuse to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation and continues to boycott Taiwan's bids to join the UN and WHO.

"It is impossible for a democratic Taiwan to integrate with an authoritarian China," he said. "We are not against the 1.3 billion Chinese people, but are against the Chinese Communist Party."

Chen added that to improve cross-strait relations, China must adhere to four principles.

The principles include recognizing Taiwan as an independent sovereignty, respecting the will of Taiwanese in terms of cross-strait relations and Taiwan's future, resolving cross-strait disputes through peaceful dialogue rather than military or non-peaceful means, and holding talks on a government-to-government, equal basis.
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