The Taiwan Independence Party filed a criminal lawsuit against the
New Party on a charge of treason yesterday.
Party
Chairman William Huang (黃玉炎) yesterday accused the New Party's delegation,
led by senior party members including Hsu Li-nung (許歷農), Yok Mu-ming
(郁慕明), Wang Chien-shien (王建烜) and its party convener Hsieh Chi-ta
(謝啟大) of conducting party-to-party negotiations and reaching a seven-point
consensus with high-ranking Chinese officials during a four-day visit
in China from July 10 to July 13, without the government's authorization.
"They have committed offenses against the external security
of the state and obviously intend to sell out our national interests,"
Huang was quoted as saying in a written press statement released yesterday.
On
July 12, The delegation, joined by Secretary-General Lee Bin-nan (李炳南),
Alex Fai (費鴻泰) and Kao Shin-wu (高新武) also met with Chinese Vice Premier
Qian Qichen (錢其琛), who repeated Beijing's "one-two-three insistences"
namely adherence to the "one China" principle, two-side
[cross-strait] negotiations and opening of the the three direct [trade,
communication and transport] links. Both agreed to establish a dialogue
mechanism to further exchange views on cross-strait relations in the
future.
Opposing the New Party's close connections with Beijing, party spokesman
Tsai Ting-lin (蔡汀霖) yesterday added that the party's legal action
against the New Party would help clarify that China and Taiwan are
two separate nations.
"If the court decides to take the case and enter a verdict,
the so-called `special state-to-state relationship' between China
and Taiwan would, therefore, be legalized and consolidate Taiwan's
national identity," Tsai said.
He
added that, were the case accepted, Taiwanese courts would have to
recognize the fact that China is a foreign country and that Taiwan
is not a part of China. Otherwise, other political parties and individuals
would act like the New Party and sell out Taiwan by conducting private
talks with China, he said.