An independent consultant on Asian affairs in Washington, who recently published an article which aroused the fury of KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), said yesterday that she was surprised that Taiwan seemed to be unaware of what KMT delegations have been saying during their trips to China.
Bonnie Glaser, in an article, dated Aug. 17 and published in the PacNet Newsletter (http://www.csis.org/pacfor/pac0133.htm) on the Web site of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank, said that KMT members have tried to persuade Beijing not to resume cross-strait dialogue with the Chen administration.
"Scores of KMT delegations visiting China in the past year have urged Beijing to avoid opening a dialogue with Chen that might strengthen his position and increase his chances of re-election, Chinese analysts say," Glaser said.
"Instead, the KMT urges Chi-nese leaders to await the return of their party to power, promising that the KMT will pursue a cross-Strait policy that is more amenable to Beijing," she said.
Her article drew furious denials from the KMT yesterday. Lien denounced the report as "absurd."
Glaser said the KMT might be justified in arguing that their opinions have no sway in Beijing.
But she added that they should not play down the influence their remarks may carry with Chinese leaders. Those leaders have ruled out any contact with Taiwan's authorities since Chen's election and as a result, depend heavily on their interviews with opposition politicians to gain an understanding of President Chen Shui-bian's (
Glaser spoke to CNA to correct reports in the Taiwan press that falsely attributed her article to CSIS itself.
Glaser said the report was based on her personal opinions formed after her interviews with Bei-jing officials during a July trip to China.
She wrote the report at the request of Ralph Cossa, president of the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum which is affiliated with the CSIS.
In her article, Glaser also said that Beijing does not intend to change its wait-and-see approach toward Chen's administration, believing that, given Taiwan's current political and economic situation, this is in Beijing's favor.
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