The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday applauded the Cabinet's appointment of Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) as the nation's de facto ambassador to the US.
Wu's appointment has elicited approval from the US government, and he is the first DPP member to hold the post.
DPP caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) told a press conference that it was necessary for the Cabinet to appoint a new ambassador.
"Before President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) term ends next May, [we need] someone who can adequately represent and explain the DPP's core values to the US in a bid to avoid misunderstandings," Wang said. "It would be unfair to regard the appointment as a move to get rid of people with pan-blue affiliations."
"It is obvious that [current representative] David Lee (
He added that although Wu and Lee were both extremely talented, the nation's top representative to the US had to be someone who "knows the DPP's ideals well and can communicate these ideals to the US."
When asked to elaborate on what he meant by "the DPP's core values," Wang said that the nation had to be capable of adjusting its "strategies for survival" at any time in response to pressure from China.
"The US may not be able to appreciate these strategies at first. Taiwan is likely to be sacrificed as a result of the US' concern about how it should interact with China," Wang said.
"We need someone who can convey Taiwan's plight and explain the DPP's strategies," he said.
"Lee has done his best, but sometimes he could not convey some key points [to the US] for the DPP. We were a little bit concerned," Wang said.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday denounced Wu's appointment as part of the president's preparations for the election.
"Wu is definitely not one of the great talents within the DPP camp who are qualified to undertake the task. He was chosen just because he is a henchman of the president," KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) told a press conference.
Chiang said that being able to accurately convey the "core values" of the DPP to the US was not an adequate reason for Wu's appointment.
"The core values of the DPP are not equal to the core values of the whole country. The DPP must realize that Wu is not just a party representative, but a representative of the entire country," Chiang said.
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