President endorses MAC head

"What they achieved in just two months is a marvelous change for both sides of the Taiwan Strait," Ma said during his unprecedented visit to MAC Chairwoman Lai Shih-yuan, in company of Premier Liu Chao-shiuan and several other officials.

He lauded both organizations for the resumption of formal cross-strait negotiations, the launch of weekend direct charter flights and the deal allowing more Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan after nearly 10 years of stalemate.

The implications of detente between Taiwan and China have attracted attention from the international community, especially the United States, Japan and many Southeast Asian countries, the president continued.

Foreign observers participating in a recent conference in Hawaii reportedly called current cross-strait developments "the beginning of a stable and peaceful framework in the Taiwan Strait" whose impact is "enormous," he said.

The MAC is a Cabinet-level body responsible for coordinating and executing Taiwan's policy on cross-strait affairs, while the SEF is a semi-private organization commissioned by the government to handle relations between Taiwan and China.

Yet, local media described Ma's visit as an effort to shore up support for Lai, who has come under fire from opposition parties for allegedly failing to uphold Taiwan's sovereignty.

On July 23, a spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office stated in an unofficial meeting with reporters that Beijing would use "Zhongguo Taipei" instead of "Zhonghua Taipei" -- Taiwan's agreed-upon designation for participating in the upcoming summer games -- to refer to Taiwan in places outside Olympic stadiums.

The announcement immediately sparked outrage in Taiwan, where it was seen as a move to downgrade the nation's sovereignty.

Lai was eventually blasted by opposition parties for not taking a strong enough stance in a press release July 24, which called the complications arising from the issue "regrettable" and "hard to understand."

Lai is an academic-turned-legislator from Taiwan-centric opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), which wants to limit economic relations with China in order to protect Taiwan's competitive edge and political sovereignty.

The government's recent decision to allow semiconductor firms to set up advanced, 12-inch wafer factories in China and increased the cap on China-bound investment to 60 percent of a firm's net worth, from 40 percent or less before, has reopened the controversy.

Ma said that relaxation of economic policies toward China did not aim at encouraging Taiwan businessmen to invest in China, but rather at closely integrating Taiwan into the global economy and giving foreign businesses in Taiwan a more liberal and convenient investment environment.

Meanwhile, the TSU denied pressuring Lai to step down yesterday, but announced that it would not endorse her anymore.

1|2|Next Page>>

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email