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MAC head denies caving in to China
PUSHING THE DRAGON: The Mainland Affairs Council chairwoman called on Beijing
to abolish aggressive policies directed at Taiwan, but denied Beijing pressured
her
By Ko Shu-ling
Staff Reporter
Monday, Aug 09, 2010, Page 1
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (¿à©¯´D)
yesterday denied that China had played a role in her cancelation of a speech
scheduled for Saturday in Los Angeles after she urged Beijing to abolish
policies and laws concerning military deployments targeting Taiwan.
Lai, who returned to Taipei from the US yesterday morning, said she canceled the
last leg of her trip because her plane had mechanical problems, adding that it
had nothing to do with China.
The last-minute change of plan prompted speculation that China had pressured her
to cancel the speech after she called on Beijing to repeal its ¡§Anti-Secession¡¨
Law, which authorizes the Chinese military to take Taiwan via ¡§non-peaceful¡¨
means if Taiwan makes moves toward de jure independence.
¡§This speculation is purely groundless,¡¨ she told reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan
International Airport yesterday.
Lai said she tried for six or seven hours to get another flight to Los Angeles,
but to no avail. Describing the incident as ¡§an act of God,¡¨ Lai said she had no
other choice but to cancel her flight.
While giving a speech at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington on
Wednesday, Lai urged Beijing to abolish ¡§policies and laws¡¨ concerning military
deployments targeting Taiwan. She said China¡¦s military buildup and its ¡§policy
of taking Taiwan by force¡¨ were obstacles that must be removed if cross-strait
relations are to move forward.
While Lai stopped short of naming the ¡§Anti-Secession¡¨ Law in her speech, MAC
Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (¼B¼w¾±) in Taipei on Thursday called on China to
review its ¡§Anti-Secession¡¨ Law, which he described as ¡§something unnecessary¡¨
in cross-strait relations. He also said the law was impeding the development of
ties between Taipei and Beijing and that there was a need to review it after the
two sides build a communication platform and develop mutual trust.
Lai yesterday said she had made good use of her limited time in the US to meet
government officials, think tanks, academics and lawmakers. During the meetings,
Lai said they recognized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government¡¦s
¡§benign interactions¡¨ with Beijing.
After explaining to them what the recently signed cross-strait Economic
Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) was, Lai said they all fully supported
it. Lai added that they thought the accord was something encouraging for the US
and that it would play an important role in Taiwan¡¦s attempt to be part of
regional economic integration and develop closer economic relations with its
major trading partners.
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