Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) changed tack yesterday and said she was leaving for China today to promote the upcoming World Games.
“I will visit Beijing and Shanghai, China, as previously planned. This will be the last stop to promote the World Games and will mark the end of global promotions for the World Games,” Chen told reporters.
Chen said she would visit China under the precondition of “equality and dignity.” Neither Chen, Deputy Kaohsiung Mayor Lee Yung-te (李永得) nor Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), board member of the Kaohsiung Organizing Committee (KOC) of the games, had applied to China for “Taiwan compatriot travel documents” (台胞證).
“I’ve said that as Kaohsiung mayor, I would never apply for a ‘Taiwan compatriot travel document,’” she said.
Chen said she would enter China on behalf of “the city hosting [the World Games].”
Chen backtracked on her decision on Tuesday to cancel a planned trip to Beijing. She had said that she would not attend an annual convention of the International Real Estate Federation in Beijing held yesterday because of concerns over the swine flu outbreak in China.
However, she said yesterday she would still leave for Beijing today instead of delaying the trip to promote the sports event.
“I thought we could put off the trip until after the city council’s session is over. However, the city coffers will suffer more losses this way, meaning we will have to pay more money to make other arrangements,” she said.
Chen finalized her trip to China amid threats from pro-independence groups that they would boycott her if she ran for re-election in the Kaohsiung mayoral election next year.
The Taiwan Southern Society, the Taiwan Society Hakka and the Southern Stars Society issued a statement on Monday urging Chen to rethink her plan to visit China.
Chen said she respected different opinions, but maintained that her political stance had been consistent.
Liu told reporters that city government officials would meet the mayors of Beijing and Shanghai during the trip, adding that everything in the trip would be open and transparent.
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