With fruit talks scheduled to begin in China today, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday called on opposition parties to safeguard Taiwanese farmers' interests instead of becoming pawns in Beijing's "united front" strategy.
"China's recent string of cooperation with opposition parties is politically motivated and aimed at boosting the pan-blue camp's chances in the 2008 presidential election," said DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德). "I hope opposition parties stand together with our farmers and promote their long-term interests, rather than their own interests or those of their party."
Lai's remarks echoed comments made by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on Monday. President Chen said that China's recent offer to lift tariffs on some Taiwanese fruit was a "100 percent political move -- a full-fledged war to achieve the goal of unification with Taiwan."
It is still unknown whether today's fruit talks will go ahead as scheduled, as the Mainland Affairs Council has made it clear that they will not send any authorized representatives to participate in the negotiations.
The Taiwan Provincial Farmers' Association also said that they did not receive an invitation from China to participate in the talks.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Chen Chieh (陳杰), meanwhile, led a group of caucus members to China yesterday for a seven-day visit. He dismissed the speculation that his visit is related to today's talks.
Dubbed a journey of "understanding and service," Chen said the trip is aimed at finding out the problems associated with exports of Taiwanese fruit to China and attempting to seek solutions for them.
While the government has insisted on designating Taiwan External Trade Development Council to negotiate the terms of fruit exports to China, Chen Chieh said that the council knows little about the nation's fruit products and market and that the Provincial Farmers' Association would be a better body to deal with the matter.
Lai yesterday called on the People First Party (PFP) caucus to stop trying to mislead the public by making false accusations against the Chen administration and its cross-strait economy policy.
"The government has never banned the sale of fruit to China," Lai said. "What the government cares about is farmers' long-term interests, not the 2008 presidential election."
If Beijing genuinely wants to offer tariff-free status to the nation's fruit exporters, they should talk with the Taiwanese government, Lai said.
Lai also said that the PFP made an inappropriate comparison between the nation's fruit and steel exports to China, because steel exports do not require quarantine and fruit exports do.
Lai's remark was made in response to the PFP caucus' attack made earlier yesterday morning against President Chen's previous comments.
PFP policy research director Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said that he was baffled by the president's logic and inconsistent cross-strait trade policy.
He said it is unfathomable for him that fruit exports to China -- in the president's eyes -- is part of Beijing's "united front" strategy, but the annual export of 500,000 to 1 million tonnes of steel to China is not.
The only explanation Chang said he can think of is that the president's words are part of a political maneuver designed to cover up his incompetence in governing the country and his contradictory cross-strait policy.
"I find his theory unacceptable," Chang said. "I hope the president keeps his harsh words to himself and not attack opposition parties genuinely trying to do something for the people."
Chang also pledged to help farmers promote fruit exports to China and hoped to expand the fruit markets to countries in Africa and the Americas.
Responding to the president's comments on Monday, KMT chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou (
"Exports of agricultural products to China is conducive to farmers' income and the president should be helping them instead of laying blame on the opposition parties," he said.
"I'm curious to know whether the nation's US$60 billion annual exports to China are part of China's unification scheme. If they are, should we put a stop to it?" Ma said.
Throwing his support behind the president, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday called on opposition parties to join forces with the government to uphold farmers' interests.
"Beijing has been aggressively pushing for fruit exports since its enactment of the `Anti Secession' Law," Wu said. "China's fruit export strategy is part of its `united front' strategy and is deliberately aimed at creating divisions within the country."
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