President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended his top election campaign aide King Pu-tsung’s (金溥聰) trip to the US as an opportunity to promote Taiwanese policies in the US and urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to support what he called positive interactions between the DPP and King’s delegations during overseas campaigns.
King, executive director of Ma’s re-election campaign, concluded a 12-day trip to the US on Monday that was aimed at boosting Ma’s profile among overseas Taiwanese. He was accompanied by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators and campaign staff.
The trip overlapped with DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) US visit, in which the DPP’s presidential nominee traveled around the US to meet US officials and Taiwanese-American groups.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“It’s not a bad thing that the delegations from the two parties had disputes and arguments because it demonstrates the values of a democratic country ... And I was shocked when [the DPP] said the KMT’s delegation was trying to make a mess in the US, because the delegation visited the US to explain our policies,” Ma said at the KMT’s Central Standing Committee meeting.
Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, dismissed Tsai and the DPP’s accusations that King and the KMT had attempted to sabotage Tsai’s US trip by visiting the US at the same time.
“The relations between Taiwan, the US and mainland China are unique, and Taiwanese living in the US care about Taiwanese politics very much. I think it’s reasonable and normal for politicians in Taiwan to explain cross-strait policies to the US, while seeking overseas groups’ support prior to the presidential election,” he said.
Ma said he had promoted the “1992 consensus” and the three-noes policies during his trip to the US five years ago when he was the mayor of Taipei, and the KMT delegation’s explanation of the same policies in the US showed that the party’s cross-strait rhetoric was not mere rherotic, but a feasible policy that has helped improve cross-strait relations.
King, facing criticism from Tsai and the DPP that he had breached government protocol by promoting the administration’s cross-strait policy in the US although he was not a government official, said they were groundless accusations.
King accused the DPP of making groundless charges as he reported on the US trip at the KMT’s meeting.
“I am stunned by the opposition camp’s personal attacks against me. It goes against democracy for a party that promotes democratic development,” he said.
King is scheduled to visit Japan next month or in November, which could overlap with Tsai’s trip to Japan early next month.
Ma’s re-election campaign office spokesperson, Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國), denied that the Ma campaign team was trying to disrupt Tsai’s overseas campaign activities, saying King’s trip to Japan was planned a while ago.
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