President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday commended communication between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but said the party-to-party platform would not set the agenda for cross-strait relations.
“Today, political parties can no longer dictate government policies,” he said. “The party must cooperate with the government and help promote its policies. At the same time, it must act with propriety, because only by doing so can operations involving the two run smoothly.”
Ma made the remarks while meeting KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.
Wu embarks on a trip to China today to attend a KMT-CCP forum amid speculation that Ma is interested in taking over Wu’s post as KMT head.
Wu told Ma that the KMT and CCP realized that the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), were the sole agencies authorized by their governments to sign cross-strait agreements.
Wu said the annual KMT-CCP economic forum was merely a communication platform for all private groups interested in cross-strait dialogue, Wu said.
The forum will be conducted according to the principles of equality and dignity, he said.
Ma said KMT-CCP meetings were helpful and that he hoped to see other private foundations and associations join forces with the KMT to stabilize and develop cross-strait ties.
Communication between the SEF and ARATS is insufficient, Ma said, adding that having more channels of communication available would help cross-strait relations stabilize.
Citing Japan as an example, Ma said Taiwan has 52 communication channels with Tokyo.
Washington and Beijing also have more than 60 lines of communication, he said.
While some have expressed concern that the KMT-CCP forum could dictate cross-strait development, Ma said this would not happen because all matters decided through cross-strait negotiations must be approved by the government and inked by the SEF and ARATS.
Ma also said his administration would continue to communicate with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on cross-strait policies and seek support from the opposition, which has voiced strong criticism of his China policies.
“But it is impossible for us to stop simply because of opposition by a few people,” he said. “In a democracy, it is important to respect the minority, but it is equally important to obey the majority and tolerate differences. If we bow to the pressure of a minority, it is not democratic, it is incompetent.”
Ma said he was happy to see Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP visit China, adding that he hoped higher-level DPP representatives would follow suit.
“It is not the sole responsibility of the KMT to seek consensus,” he said. “The DPP has its responsibilities too.”
As the DPP is an opposition party, Ma said it should not fear allowing its leaders to visit China. China only stands to benefit from hearing a different voice on Taiwanese matters, he said.
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