China will be willing to resume talks with Taiwan only if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gains a clear majority in the Legislative Yuan in the Dec. 11 elections, DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday.
Chang made the remarks while stumping for DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊毅) who is seeking another three-year term in the southern Tainan County constituency.
Chang said that although the DPP managed to win the presidency in 2000, it has yet to control a clear majority in the legislature.
As a result, Chang said, many aspects of the DPP's political reform agenda and its policy initiatives have been blocked by thel legislature over the past four years.
Chang said he intensely hopes that the "pan-green" camp can win a majority in the 225-seat legislature in next month's elections. If this goal is accomplished, he said, the DPP will then become a full-fledged ruling party and be able to implement its core agenda.
"Moreover, Beijing would be more willing to resume dialogue with Taiwan to forge cross-strait rapprochement, " Chang said, claiming that the DPP's inability to control a majority in the legislature has been a factor discouraging China from negotiating with the government.
"If we manage to gain control of the legislature, we'll have an even stronger mandate to negotiate with Beijing, and mainland leaders will no longer be able to ignore the DPP administration's call for peaceful dialogue and engagement," Chang said.
Beijing unilaterally suspended dialogue with Taiwan in July 1999 after then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) defined cross-strait relations as a special state-to-state relationship, which Beijing viewed as a move promoting Taiwan independence.
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