China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) yesterday said a visit by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Department of Chinese Affairs Director Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) to China is not an exchange between the DPP and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Chao is visiting China with a delegation led by Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森).
Chao is the first head of the department to visit China since the acceptance of the so-called “1992 consensus,” which centers on the “one China” principle, was set as a precondition for cross-strait exchanges after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in May 2008.
TAO spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) told a regular news conference in Beijing yesterday that Chao’s visit had nothing to do with any exchanges between the DPP and the CCP because he is visiting in the capacity of a board member of the foundation.
“We will not embark upon party-to-party exchanges with the DPP unless the DPP relinquishes its separatist stance of promoting ‘one country on each side of the strait’ and ‘Taiwanese independence,’” Ma Xiaoguang was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
The foundation’s visit is part of routine exchanges and negotiations between it and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) that resumed after June 2008 on the basis of the “1992 consensus,” the spokesman said.
According to the foundation, the delegation will meet with ARATS Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) tomorrow in Xian to exchange views regarding policies and measures taken by China to protect Taiwanese investors.
In a press release, Lin denied that issues related to Taiwan’s intent to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank would be discussed with Chen, contradicting a statement made by Minister of Finance Chang Sheng-ford (張盛和) on Thursday last week in the legislature that the subject was on the agenda.
Lin said that the Mainland Affairs Council has not authorized the foundation to speak with ARATS on issues related to the bank.
The 13-member delegation, which includes Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Bill Cho (卓士昭), arrived in Zhengzhou on Tuesday, where they visited the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone, as well as some Taiwanese-invested businesses in Henan Province, the foundation said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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