Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) are expected to meet for the fourth time next week to discuss cross-strait relations under the new administration, KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) said yesterday in China.
Chiang, the chairman-designate of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), confirmed the Lien-Hu meeting would take place on Tuesday.
Media reports have speculated that Hu will take the opportunity to invite Lien to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
The Chinese leader invited Lien for a visit shortly after president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) won last month’s election.
“During his visit, Lien will most definitely seize the opportunity to discuss with Hu the administration’s vision and Ma’s plans for cross-strait cooperative efforts,” Chiang said.
Despite the political implications behind the meeting, Lien’s office was billing the trip as a “personal visit.”
Some reports said Lien and Hu would shake hands at an unveiling ceremony for a sculpture at the Olympic Park in Beijing.
The sculpture by a Taiwanese artist is reportedly a gift that Lien gave Hu when the two met two years ago. It was reported at the time that Hu was enthusiastic about the work and had it placed at the Olympic site.
“It will be a meeting of two old friends,” said Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭), director of the KMT’s Mainland Affairs Division.
Lien’s office reportedly notified Ma’s camp of the trip and that minister without profolio-designate Tsai Hsun-hsiung (蔡勳雄) would be in attendance.
Several leading Taiwanese businessmen, including Hon Hai Precision president Terry Gou (郭台銘), Chinatrust Financial Holding chairman Jeffrey Koo (辜濂松), and Runetex Group chairman Yin Yen-liang (尹衍樑) will accompany Lien.
Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office Director Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) and Jia Qinglin (賈慶林), head of the People’s Political Consultative Conference, are expected to join the Chinese entourage.
Lien is expected to conclude his trip by May 6.
Meanwhile, Ma’s spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) declined to confirm that Lien had informed Ma about the trip, but stressed that the two shared the same vision for cross-strait relations.
“Communication between Mr Ma and Mr Lien has always been good as they share the same vision for cross-strait relations,” Lo said yesterday while accompanying Ma to an education forum in Taipei.
Although Lien has been maintaining direct contact between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party, Ma said that the SEF would handle cross-strait negotiations following his inauguration on May 20.
Ma expressed his gratitude to Lien for providing him with ideas about how to promote a “win-win” cross-strait relationship, but added that the SEF would be the authorized body to seek formal agreements with Beijing on matters such as how to protect Taiwanese investors in China. The party-to-party platform will only serve as a supplementary channel of communication, he said.
After Lien’s visit, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) is expected to visit China to maintain party-to-party contacts.
Meanwhile, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday that the public would watch the Lien-Hu meeting carefully and expected any talks to be held only under the precondition of mutual respect and equality.
“The government always believed in the importance of cross-strait dialogue and establishing a peaceful and stable cross-strait relationship, but the nation’s dignity and equality are also very important,” Chang said when approached for comment.
Chang said cross-strait talks on technical issues regarding the opening of Taiwan to Chinese tourists and cross-strait charter flights for passengers and cargo were resolved under his leadership when he was the president of the Straits Exchange Foundation and under his premiership.
He said Beijing had unilaterally ended the negotiations ahead of January’s legislative elections and last month’s presidential election for political reasons.
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