Another opposition DPP mayor to visit China

Hsu has filed applications with the National Immigration Agency for approval for his China visit, which will mainly be a trip to the southeastern Chinese port city of Xiamen to attend the opening ceremony of the First Strait Cup Sailing Boat Championship slated for June 28-29.

About 30 sailing boats of all sizes from both sides are expected to take part in the sailing competition, which will start at a port in Xiamen June 28 and end in Tainan City's Anping Port on June 29.

Chen Chu, in her capacity as president of the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung Organizing Committee, visited Beijing and Shanghai May 21-24 to promote the 2009 World Games, which will be held in Kaohsiung July 16-26, making her the highest-ranking incumbent DPP official to have set foot in China.

Speaking about his forthcoming and first visit to the Chinese mainland, Hsu said Taiwan and China should engage in normal exchanges under the principles of dignity and equality.

“The two sides should grasp this juncture of friendly atmosphere to create peace across the Taiwan Strait. We should be determined on 'good things,' but should refrain from doing things that are not conducive to development of mutual trust,” he said.

President Ma Ying-jeou recently expressed welcome to Chen Chu's visits to China, and said he hoped to see increased interaction between the DPP and the Chinese leadership. He said that such interaction will allow Beijing to more clearly hear voices from Taiwan other than those of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and is conducive to the development of cross Taiwan Strait relations.

If the country intends to reach a consensus on major issues pertaining to the people's well-being and interests, it should not depend solely on the KMT's efforts, Ma said. The DPP must also do its share, said Ma.

In Beijing, the spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, Yang Yi, labeled Chen Chu's China visit as “irrelevant to politics,” and expressed welcome to other prominent DPP figures to visit the mainland in the future.

Yang reiterated that Beijing would “respond favorably” to future visits by DPP politicians as long as the DPP changes its pro-Taiwan independence stance.

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