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Ma wants fewer visits
by PRC officials
ELECTION CONCERNS: The Presidential Office
spokesman confirmed that Ma hoped to reduce the impact of outside factors as
Taiwan prepares for elections in January
By Liu Jung, Wang Yu-chung and Shih Hsiao-kuang / Staff Reporters
President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨^¤E) has expressed a wish that China scale back visits
from high-level officials to Taiwan ¡§during a certain period of time.¡¨
During a meeting with pan-blue Taipei City councilors at the Presidential Office
on Thursday, Ma did not mention how long the ¡§certain period of time¡¨ would be,
but some city councilors who were at the meeting interpreted it to mean that
visits from large groups of high-level Chinese officials would probably not be
seen until after next year¡¦s presidential and legislative elections in January.
According to those present at the Thursday gathering, Ma said media portrayal of
local government officials competing to extend invitations to high-level Chinese
officials, such as provincial governors and secretaries, had left a bad
impression on the general public.
Ma was quoted by those at the meeting as saying that he had conveyed his message
through proper channels that China should cut down visits from high-level
officials.
Presidential Office spokesman Fang Chiang Tai-chi (S«¸®õ°ò) later confirmed that Ma
had conveyed his wish to China through the Mainland Affairs Council in order to
reduce the effects of outside factors on the campaign season in Taiwan.
Some city councilors said they were surprised at Ma¡¦s ¡§rare expression of
putting the brakes¡¨ on cross-strait exchanges.
Ma¡¦s remarks also provoked criticism across party lines.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsao Erh-chung (±äº¸©¾) said that
cross-strait issues should be handled normally, without ulterior considerations
during elections.
Saying that Taiwan welcomed officials coming to Taiwan to shop around, KMT
Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (¿à¤h¸¶) suggested that what Ma was worried about was the
attitude of some visiting Chinese officials, who had been arrogant and acted as
though they were on a charity tour.
It is also a reminder that KMT local representatives should act in a more
refined manner to avoid giving anyone the chance to manipulate politics, Lai
added.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (½²·×·ã), on the
other hand, said that Ma¡¦s comments were a clumsy denial that had only exposed
his motive. He said Ma was secretly hoping that China would help his election
campaign efforts, but was also worried that Chinese help would backfire on him.
Tsai questioned the Ma administration¡¦s claims that Chinese tour groups would
bring economic benefits to Taiwan by buying agricultural produce.
¡§If it were so, why was the Ma administration afraid that the working class
might not accept his policy?¡¨ he asked.
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (¶À°¶õ) said there were rumors that China had asked
each of its provinces to ¡§adopt¡¨ a county or city in Taiwan, which was why
provinces and towns in China had formed tourist groups to visit Taiwan.
Huang added that the big promotions about the benefits of Chinese tourism had
not lived up to expectations, adding that instead of helping Ma¡¦s campaign
efforts, they had only deducted points from his administration¡¦s image.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY TSENG WEI-CHEN
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