Speaker asks China envoy to remove missiles

Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said he told Chen Yunlin that it is the Taiwan people’s common hope that China can remove the missiles as a gesture of more friendliness towards the island.

Chen replied that it concerns mutual trust in terms military matters, and at present the priority should be given to economic issues before proceeding to political issues, according to Wang.

The exchange between the pair took place at a breakfast meeting at the Taipei Grand Hotel, where Chen, head of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), is staying.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and threatens to take it back by force should it declare formal independence. Hundreds of missiles are believed to be aimed at Taiwan.

Chen later visited Taiwan’s world-renowned Hsinchu Science Park (HSP), the farthest he would go down south during his stay on the island, as security concerns have denied him trips to central and southern regions.

Chen was given a briefing at the HSP office at northern city of Hsinchu, which is just about 70 kilometers south of Taipei.

He then called on two of the companies at the HSP — AU Optronics (AUO), the world’s third largest LCD panel supplier; and Altek, one of Taiwan’s top makers of digital cameras.

The China envoy was welcomed at AUO by the company’s Chairman K.Y. Lee and other executives.

According to AUO, Chen was impressed by a 65-inch LCD TV panel and another 65-inch panel for public signage that were installed at the conference room where he was given a briefing of the company’s operations.

Lee presented Chen with a gift on his departure — a latest digital camera from BenQ, a brand belonging to the AUO group.

China has been yearning to build up its LCD panel industry to tap the huge displays market worldwide. But it lacks the cutting-edge technologies in an industry dominated by Korean and Taiwan players.

Following his visit to AUO, Chen then went ahead to Altek. There he was also given a digital camera with global positioning system (GPS) functionalities as souvenir.

Chen has been said to have a strong intention to visit the Ali Mountain in south Taiwan, one of the best known Taiwnese scenic spots among Chinese.

But after his deputy Zhang Mingqing was mobbed by pro-independence supporters in Tainan last month during a private visit, the host of his visit, the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) has refrained from arranging him to any trips in central and southern Taiwan.

Since his arrival Monday, Chen has been shielded by hundreds of police from opposition supporters who have been staging protests to express their disapproval of his presence and President Ma Ying-jeou’s pro-China policy.

On Tuesday evening, police battled protesters demonstrating outside a Taipei hotel where Chen was dining with former President Lien Chan, in what has been described.

The pro-independence main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday also stepped calls for supporters to take to streets today to besiege the Taipei Guest House where Chen is scheduled to meet with Ma.

The Taipei City police said it will mobilize a force of 3,000 officers to handle the DPP demonstration at the guest house, a state facility near the presidential palace in downtown Taipei.

Speculation continued to run rampant as to how Chen would address Ma, the leader of Taiwan whose statehood China denies.

While calling Ma “president” would be tantamount to recognizing Taiwan as a country, calling him “Mr.” would be rather too informal for an occasion with such historic significance.

Both SEF and ARATS have been said to have hold several rounds of the negotiations concerning the title issue, which is one of the most sensitive matters facing both sides.

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