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Lawmakers divided on Ma’s meeting with Chen

Lawmakers from both the governing and opposition parties yesterday debated the news that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would meet China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) during his planned visit to Taiwan.

Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), head of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), told Reuters on Thursday that Chen would meet with Ma when he visits Taiwan later this month or at the beginning of next month.

In June, SEF and ARATS signed deals in Beijing on direct cross-strait weekend charter flights and a further opening of the nation to Chinese tourists.

During Chen’s visit to Taiwan, the two sides will sign deals on regular cross-strait flights and direct cargo shipments, Chiang said.

Commenting on the news, Secretary-General of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) said the planned meeting was “not inappropriate.”

On the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) plans to mobilize supporters to stage a protest during Chen’s visit, Chang said: “If the DPP wants Taiwan to be a country, it should not try to obstruct visits by Chinese representatives. Taiwan should treat Chen to a magnificent welcome based on the principles of etiquette and should not welcome him with protests and resistance.”

KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the planned meeting represented “a breakthrough in cross-strait relations” and demonstrated Ma’s self-confidence in negotiating with China.

Lin said he expected cross-strait relations to normalize, adding that Taiwan “would still have a voice on the international stage in the future.”

Lin said because China is Taiwan’s largest export market, but also its main military threat, the nation needed to keep the lines of communication open with Beijing and that includes visits to Taiwan by Chinese representatives.

DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said the main issue was not Ma’s meeting with Chen, but the sovereignty issue.

“What the public objects to is that President Ma doesn’t dare insist on being called ‘president’ and doesn’t dare insist that Taiwan is a country,” Lai said.

He said the public is opposed to Ma “sacrificing Taiwan’s sovereignty and disregarding the Taiwanese people’s rights and interests” in his dealings with China.

As for KMT lawmakers, Lai said they had been talking up the benefits to the nation of the cross-strait negotiations and “pretending that all is going well.”

“They should remember it is their responsibility to speak on behalf of the Taiwanese people,” he said.

Chen’s visit will be the highest level visit by a Chinese official to Taiwan.
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