Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) yesterday defended his upcoming trip to China, saying it is part of his duty to work for the resumption of cross-strait exchanges, amid criticism that he is leaving while his native Hualien is battered by quakes and while the legislature is in session.
Fu is today leading a delegation of KMT lawmakers to China. The group originally planned to leave yesterday, but postponed the departure after a series of aftershocks rocked Hualien County following April 3’s earthquake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale.
It is a priority among legislators to promote cross-strait exchanges, Fu told reporters.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
“No matter what happens, I shall take up the responsibility to promote peace across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Earlier in the day, DPP legislators and think tanks held a news conference accusing Fu and the KMT of cooperating with China’s agenda to undermine Taiwan’s democracy and national security.
KMT members have made many trips to meet with Chinese government officials, with 24 known official visits by party members in recent years, while Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) members have done so three times, DPP Legislator Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) said.
“We must ask if these two parties are working to sell out Taiwan by colluding with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平),” he said.
Taiwan Economic Democracy Union deputy secretary-general Hsu Kuan-tze (許冠澤) said that China is using a combination of tactics in its attempt to subjugate Taiwan.
“One of them is through political means, such as selective imports of Taiwanese agricultural products to create the impression that Taiwanese local governments can circumvent the central government and do business with China,” he said. “This tactic aims to subvert the central government’s authority, which was elected by popular vote.”
“Fu’s election as the KMT caucus whip has boosted his political clout and his power to influence public opinion. Even TPP lawmakers have followed his instructions and repeatedly abstained from voting during key [legislative] decisions,” Hsu said.
“China is going through Fu to connect with KMT figures and leaders of local political factions, as well as form an alliance with the TPP. In doing so, it would be able to control Taiwan’s legislature, and thereby control Taiwanese politics and society. This is a new Chinese ‘united front’ tactic that Taiwanese must be aware of,” Hsu added.
DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) accused Fu of obstructing aid to Hualien County following the April 3 earthquake.
“The central government must draft programs and allocate funding with the cooperation of the county government,” he said. “On the day of the earthquake, it already transferred NT$300 million [US$9.2 million] to the Hualien County Government, but where has this been spent? The county also has NT$200 million in leftover funds from the NT$2 billion it collected for previous quakes. Why is it not making use of this?”
Fu is orchestrating a “three-act play” as he maneuvers to block funds allocated by the central government from benefiting Hualien residents, Shen said.
“First, the Hualien County Government has impeded local reporting and compiling of damage information, so the central government funds cannot get disbursed to residents affected by the earthquake. Second, Fu has introduced a legislation, dubbed the April 3 Earthquake Reconstruction bill, aiming to use this special legislation to override the existing Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法). In doing so, Fu would be able to hinder central government funds and resources from getting to Hualien County,” he added.
“And third, Fu is heading to China to bring in resources and financial support from the Beijing government. He is cooperating with China’s ‘united front’ tactic, aided by Chinese state media propaganda, to create an image that Fu — the lawmaker and a former Hualien County commissioner [his wife is the current commissioner] — is the man who can negotiate the most favorable conditions and obtain the best results from the Chinese government, which can be depended on to look after, and provide support and economic benefits for the people of Hualien,” Shen said.
Separately yesterday, the Mainland Affairs Council said it does not know what Fu plans to discuss with Chinese officials on this trip, as the government cannot force legislators to detail their planned trips.
“Since he was elected by his constituency, he is responsible to his voters, and we will only know later on what was discussed at the meetings in Beijing,” the council said in a statement.
“However, if the issues are related to government authority, and Fu did not receive permission to do so, their talk would not be valid or legally binding,” the council said. “Cross-strait interactions must be conducted on an equal basis, and with respect for each other’s authority, and as long as it conforms to laws governing cross-strait relations, the government welcomes such efforts.”
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