Kaohsiung mayor's Ma reference draws praise from DPP, KMT

“It just takes courage and tact,” said Lin.

DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang said Chen's remark highlighted the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign country.

DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang said that KMT politicians, including former Vice President Lien Chan and incumbent KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung, should feel shame for not daring to talk about Taiwan's sovereignty during their visits to China.

Tsai praised Chen's performance in Beijing, saying that DPP members should not be averse to meeting with Chinese political leaders.

“The DPP should firmly defend Taiwan's independent sovereignty and let China hear the voices of the Taiwanese people more clearly, rather than sit idly by and let the KMT administration play into Beijing's hands,” he said.

The KMT chairman, who is going on another trip to China soon, said it was “natural” for Chen to refer to Ma as president. When asked if he would also openly refer to Ma as president during his upcoming China trip, Wu said, “You'll find out.”

KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun called for the DPP not to close itself off from the rest of the world any longer, saying that Taiwan needs the DPP to open its heart to better improve cross-Taiwan Strait relations.

Kuo also called for the Chinese leadership to invite more DPP figures to visit China in the future to help promote cross-strait ties.

Chen, accompanied by Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Lee Yung-te and Liu Shi-fang, a board member of the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung Organizing Committee, is the highest-ranking incumbent DPP official to ever set foot in China.

She played host at a dinner in Beijing that evening to entertain leading travel agency operators from the Chinese capital in a bid to attract more Chinese to visit her city.

Chen and her group were scheduled to fly to Shanghai Saturday for a 24-hour whirlwind visit for similar World Games promotion activities.

She is also scheduled to meet with her Shanghai counterpart Han Zheng and to preside over a dinner with tourism leaders in Shanghai that evening.

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