Taiwan's presidential hopefuls continued to use cross-strait relations as a battle axe against one another yesterday, with the DPP accusing Lien Chan (
In an interview with the Washington Post yesterday, the DPP's Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) accused KMT presidential candidate Lien of being "too soft and conciliatory," and questioned whether James Soong's self-described quasi-"international relations" -- the independent candidate's proposal on how to define Taipei-Beijing ties -- meant Taiwan and China were part of the same country, the Central News Agency reported.
In the Washington Post interview, Chen asked what Lien Chan would do if and when he ever had the chance to speak with PRC president Jiang Zemin (
"Would he take back the `state-to-state' [policy outlined by President Lee Teng-hui (
Lien has yet to officially announce his cross-strait policy, although reports have suggested he will do so before the end of February.
Sources said the Washington Post told Chen yesterday that during its interview with Lien last week, Lien said that he "could" consider negotiations under the "one-China" premise with Jiang under certain conditions.
Chen said his party does not accept the "one-China" policy as a premise for negotiations with China, but was willing to talk with China about the issue of "one-China."
During his own Post interview, Lien called Chen "adventuristic" and Soong a "capitulationist".
In that same interview, Lien also suggested that Taiwan faced "imminent danger" if he was not elected.
If that is the case, "then the elections should be called off," Chen said, scoffing at Lien's remarks.
Chen said that even after Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) and his father, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) had stepped aside, Taiwan continued to move forward and develop.
Chen said such threats should not come as a surprise. They came up in 1994 when he ran for Taipei City mayor, and in 1996 when China fired missiles into the Taiwan Strait and threatened military action against the island.
Chen also added that Lien's comments were surprising, in particular since Lee said last year that no matter who wins the election, Taiwan "would be fine."
Chen reiterated his party's stance that if elected, he would not declare independence, would not change the national flag or the name of the country, and would not write Lee's "state-to-state" notion of cross-strait relations into the Constitution.
A group of former KMT lawmakers, meanwhile -- expelled for their support of independent candidate Soong -- attacked the government's current "go slow, be patient" policy for investments in China.
The group, led by lawmaker Shen Chih-hui (
Instead of relying on a "go-between" as Taiwan currently does -- requiring all planes, ships, and mail first pass through a third region before arriving in Taiwan or China -- Taiwan should work together with China to establish flight safety, quarantine and customs offices, the lawmakers argued.
The lawmakers did not say under what sort of political framework such an agreement could be made possible.
They did, however, criticize Lien's suggested "peace zone" as unrealistic, saying it disregarded China's role in the solution. They also accused Chen of making promises the DPP would never live up to after the elections were over.
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