The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday rejected an invitation from opposition legislators to join them on a trip to China, and instead urged them to tell China's authorities to respect Taiwan's government during their visit.
The opposition group, organized by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP), set out on a two-day trip to China to discuss fruit exports. Led by Tseng Yung-chuan (
In response, MAC Vice Chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) restated the government's position to the group, saying that the "government has commissioned the Taiwan External Trade and Development Council [TAITRA] as the only institution to talk to China about this issue. In the future, the government will set up a team to take charge of actual negotiations."
Later in the day, Council Chairman Joseph Wu (
TPFA, a local group led mainly by KMT legislators such as Liu Chuan-chung (劉銓忠), reached an agreement with China on providing certificates of origin and establishing quarantine procedures, according to an unverified report.
The Council of Agriculture (COA) has been investigating the report to see if it is true.
Wu said a mechanism for providing and verifying certificates of origin has been established by local governments nationwide and proven effective. Quarantine procedures, meanwhile, fall under the COA's function and power, which also cannot be replaced.
Speaking of the opposition parties' continuous trips to China over the fruit exports issue, he said that "they should recognize whether it is a part of China's united front [strategy] aimed at splitting Taiwan's people by getting in with the opposition parties," Wu said.
"The KMT-PFP group's request for MAC officials to go with them is to enhance the importance of their trip. They want to get an endorsement from the government," Wu said, adding that "every political party should put the interests of the state before the interests of their own parties."
"Facing China's united front, opposition parties and the ruling party should cooperate with each other to facilitate bringing China to respect our government's authority," Wu said.
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