CCP delegation may visit in October: KMT official

Chang Rong-kung, Kuomintang deputy secretary-general, told the press he is not sure whether the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan would affect his party's plan to invite the top-ranking CCP officials to come.

The Dalai Lama wound up his five-day pray tour and left for India yesterday. Beijing denounced the visit, declaring it would adversely affect relations between Taiwan and China.

“We are not quite certain,” Chang said, “the Dalai Lama's visit might get the CCP to abort a high-ranking mission to Taipei after President Ma becomes the chairman of the Kuomintang.”

Ma is scheduled to be sworn in as Kuomintang chairman on October 17. The CCP delegation isn't coming to Taipei to participate as well-wishers in the ruling party's national congress, where Ma will take the oath as its concurrent chief.

“They will come later,” Chang said. How high ranking is the CCP mission? Chang refused to elaborate. But Chang admitted the Dalai's prayer tour has had an adverse effect on relations across the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing has indicated it might delay the negotiation and conclusion of an economic cooperation framework agreement and memorandums of understanding on banking and investment between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Both of them are essential to Taiwan's economic survival in an emerging free trade zone in Asia.

“The Kuomintang wishes both sides will leave the Dalai Lama's visit behind and continue promoting our normal bilateral relations in line with what is known as the consensus of 1992,” Chang pointed out. Under that tacit pact, both sides agreed that there is “one China” but that its connotations can be orally and individually expressed.

Su Chi, secretary-general of the National Security Council, calls the unsigned agreement the principle of one China with different interpretations.

Beijing may call the People's Republic that one China just as Taipei can continue to claim that China is the Republic of China on Taiwan.

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