Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) said yesterday that he would welcome Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) to visit Taiwan.
Liu’s comments came after Wen said he would like to make a trip to Taiwan.
“Taiwan is China’s treasure island,” Wen said at a press conference in Beijing yesterday following a meeting of the 11th National People’s Congress.
If allowed, he said he would visit the popular scenic spots of Alishan and Sun Moon Lake.
“Although I am 67 years old, I would like to [visit Taiwan] if possible. I would like to go even if I can’t walk and I have to crawl,” Wen said.
Asked about Wen’s comments by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Wu (吳志揚) during a question-and-answer session, Liu said: “I would be happy to see [the development], but we need to make the plan cautiously.”
“The higher the rank of the Chinese officials, the more careful we have to be,” Liu said.
Asked whether he in turn would like to visit China, Liu said that he had no plan to do so at this time. But as premier, he would be willing to visit China if Taiwan needed him and if conditions permitted.
Nevertheless, Liu said, such a matter would have to be discussed under the right circumstances.
“Currently, there is no such plan and neither is it the right environment for that,” he said.
Taiwan prohibits visits to China by high-ranking officials, public servants and police officers with access to national security information.
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