Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has denied that it planned to broker Taiwan's fruit exports to China, a KMT spokesman yesterday confirmed the news that the KMT is undertaking to extend its service center for Taiwanese businesspeople working in China, and one KMT vice chairman will take charge of the center dealing with problems that Taiwanese businessmen encounter in China.
KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (
Chang said that the KMT has a thorough plan to enlarge the original service center based on the existing structure, and that one of the KMT vice chairmen will assume the center's leadership position as long as KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
The service center is expected to re-open at the end of August, Chang said.
"Since the KMT became an opposition party, our government has failed to speak on behalf of our business interests working in China. The Straits Exchange Foundation has also showed little efficiency in handling individual complaints during this period," Chang said.
"Therefore, the KMT is obligated to serve the business community in policy issues by using its existing channels with the Chinese Communist Party," Chang said.
Chang added that when Lien visited China in April, he conveyed the concerns of Taiwan's business community to China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).
"With a positive response, the TAO has promised to establish a bureau for handling Taiwan's business complaints and is willing to work on settling problems with us," Chang said.
The service center will collect feedback from the business community, and negotiate with the TAO and other authorities, Chang said.
Meanwhile, the executive director of the KMT Central Policy Committee Tseng Yung-chuan (
"The government should assist in helping export produce -- ?at once. Otherwise, the government will have to face our farmers who have suffered from poor sales," Tseng said.
"Besides, duty-free Taiwanese fruit is one of the achievements that Chairman Lien attained during his visit to China," Tseng said. "The KMT will do its best to make our farmers enjoy selling their fruit, and will be responsible for the follow-up arrangements after the fruit is exported."
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