Taiwan opposition lawmakers begin historic China visit
Taiwan opposition lawmakers begin historic China visit
BEIJING (Reuters): Lawmakers from two Taiwan opposition parties arrived in China on Thursday for unofficial talks on expanding transport links between the island and the Communist- run mainland.
The parties, the Nationalists and the New Party broadly share Beijing's goal of reunifying Taiwan and China to end an estrangement that began when the Chinese civil war ended in Communist victory in 1949.
The visits by the two parties come two days after the first legal trip to the Chinese mainland by Taiwanese boats in 51 years.
"At a time when the two sides are unable to break their deadlock, we hope this visit will help promote better understanding between the two sides," said Nationalist lawmaker Her Jyh-huei on arrival at Beijing airport.
Her's delegation of 31 Nationalists and a New Party group of four lead by legislator Fung Hu-hsiang are scheduled to meet Chinese aviation, postal and trade officials for discussions on establishing direct links across the Taiwan Strait.
They will also meet top Communist officials, possibly including powerful Vice Premier Qian Qichen.
China has refused to deal with the seven-month-old government of President Chen Shui-bian, who Beijing views with deep suspicion because his Democratic Progressive Party champions Taiwan independence.
Instead, to put pressure on Chen, Beijing has courted Taiwan's business community, which has more than $40 billion invested in China and seeks more liberal transport arrangements with the mainland.
Two passenger boats, accompanied by a freighter, brought delegations from the nearby Taiwan-held islands of Matsu and Quemoy on Tuesday.
They were the first vessels to take advantage of Taipei's scrapping of a ban since 1949 on direct passage to the Chinese mainland.
The travelers from Taiwan were given a cordial welcome in Fujian, but Beijing has avoided expressing enthusiasm for the limited connections, known as the "three small links".
China is holding out for "three big links" -- full trade, transport and postal links between the mainland and Taiwan -- it hopes will help lead to Taiwan reunifying with China.
Beijing dismissed the "small links" as "utterly inadequate", but has given Taipei's plan grudging support.
Her told reporters he believed full links "can promote the growth of regular trade between the two sides".
Trade between the rivals must now go through Hong Kong or other areas.
Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has threatened to invade the island if it declares independence or drags its feet on reunification talks.
Official contact between the two sides has been frozen since July 1999, when then Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui angered China by demanding political parity.
China has made resumption of contacts conditional on Chen's acceptance of Beijing's "one China principle", which holds that Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single China.
Chen has resisted that demand lest it commit the self- governing island to reunification. Reunification is anathema to Chen's party and not widely supported by the Taiwan public, who want better ties with China but favor the status quo.
Chen's opponents want reunification, but not necessarily on Beijing's terms or under a Communist government. Despite the chill in official ties, cross-Strait contacts have developed apace.
Shanghai's vice mayor Feng Guoqin will visit Taiwan next week in a non-official capacity, an official at Shanghai's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Thursday.
He said the vice mayor would go to Taipei on Jan. 9 for a week-long visit to meet counterparts in the field of social work.