Thu, Jul 06, 2000 page3

• Hsieh's trip to Xiamen unlikely

  EXCHANGES Confusion seems to be the order of the day concerning the Kaohsiung mayor's planned visit, with the Chinese denying that an invitation was issued and the DPP questioning the motivation for the trip

  • By Hung Chen-ling / STAFF REPORTER
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  Hopes that Kaohsiung City Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) would travel to Xiamen in the near future were receding yet further yesterday.

  The Cabinet was unable to make a decision regarding the trip and the Xiamen mayor's office continued to deny it had sent an invitation to Hsieh in the first place.

  Hsieh spent nearly all day yesterday dealing with details of his anticipated landmark visit to Xiamen.

  

  Frank Hsieh, DPP chairman-elect and Kaohsiung Mayor, center, chats with outgoing party chairman Lin I-hsiung at yesterday's meeting of the party's Central Standing Committee. Hsieh made a report to the meeting on his possible trip to Xiamen.

  PHOTO: CHU YO-PING, LIBERTY TIMES

  In the morning, he meet chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to discuss his plans.

  Tsai said on Tuesday that regulations did not permit such visits by mayors and the Cabinet had no plan to ease the ban on senior officials -- including city mayors -- traveling to China.

  According to Hsieh, Tsai, however, changed her previous opposition yesterday and agreed to a re-evaluation after Hsieh's detailed proposals were reviewed.

  "I had a full discussion with Tsai," Hsieh said, adding that the trip was purely to promote exchanges between the two cities and did not involve issues of national sovereignty or other political controversies.

  Hsieh expressed his hope to Tsai that the local-level city government should decide the plan.

  Hsieh quoted Tsai as saying that if the purpose of the trip was for cultural interchange and city-to-city exchange, MAC would be willing to re-valuate the plan.

  Premier Tang Fei (唐飛) also told reporters that the Cabinet would review Hsieh's plans thoroughly to check whether or not they accorded with regulations and then make a final decision.

  Hsieh's own definition of the trip, however, was a point of controversy among DPP members. In a previous statement regarding the Kaohsiung and Xiamen exchange, Hsieh referred to "two cities in one country." A spokesman for the DPP's mainstream faction, Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄), disapproved of Hsieh's trip to Xiamen.

  Shen said that Hsieh's statement was made to please the Chinese government and that was the only reason why China would welcome Hsieh.

  In the afternoon, Hsieh was invited to the DPP's Central Standing Committee meeting to formally propose his plan. Some members questioned the motives behind Hsieh's visit to Xiamen.

  One committee member said that during the meeting, committee member Tsai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), revealed that many DPP lawmakers are seeking to visit China.

  But any possible trip was welcome only as long as DPP members publicly agreed to accept the "one China" principle and show that they advocated abolishing the party's independence clause. Tsai thought that since China set so many conditions for DPP members, how could Hsieh, the incoming DPP chairman, have such a plan?

  Outgoing party chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) also indicated that any DPP members who intended to visit China should consider the reasons for their visit and the possible ramifications.

  Hsieh stressed his trip was merely for city and cultural interchange. However, he seemed not to give a clear explanation of his former statement about "two cities in one country," committee member Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) pointed out after the meeting.

  Hsieh also met with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday afternoon. Hsieh, however, denied that the two had discussed the proposed trip.

  Meanwhile, according to wire reports, a spokesman for the mayor's office in Xiamen said its government had only agreed to consider a proposal by Hsieh to exchange visits by the two mayors.

  "The invitation of Kaohsiung's mayor and other mutual visits are under discussion," the spokesman said, who declined to give his name.

  Later yesterday, Hsieh insisted the two sides had come to an agreement but said he hadn't received a formal invitation. Hsieh said he wanted Taiwan government approval in advance in order to avoid the embarrassment of having to turn down a Chinese invitation for legal reasons.
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