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2012 ELECTIONS: Tsai
confident on China relations, Hsiao says
By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
Hsiao Bi-khim, the director of
international affairs at DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s campaign
office, right, takes questions at an international press conference at the DPP’s
campaign headquarters in New Taipei City yesterday.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) hopes that her “consensus-building
character” and her initiatives would make it possible to foster a stable,
long-term relationship with China, as well as ending internal division in
Taiwan, the party said yesterday at an international press conference.
About 200 members of the international media and an election observation
delegation attended the press conference, held two days before tomorrow’s
presidential and legislative elections at the DPP’s national campaign
headquarters in Banciao District (板橋), New Taipei City (新北市).
The press conference was hosted by Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), the director of
international affairs at Tsai’s campaign office.
Tsai, who was campaigning in Taoyuan yesterday morning, did not attend the press
conference, saying she plans to host a similar press conference after winning
the election.
Despite the election being described as the first presidential poll since 1996
not to focus on cross-strait relations, most questions still involved the topic,
with reporters asking about Tsai’s “Taiwan consensus” proposal and her grand
coalition idea in particular.
On the so-called “1992 consensus” and Tsai’s “Taiwan consensus,” Hsiao said Tsai
believes strongly that an internal consensus has to be built to overcome
internal divisions in Taiwan before dealing with China, because it would provide
consistency in the long-term.
The DPP maintains that the “1992 consensus” is an invented term and “what
happened in 1992 was a spirit to agree to disagree,” Hsiao said, adding that
even if the consensus exists, it would not be strong enough to sustain the
long-term challenges of cross-strait relations.
While Beijing’s preference for Ma is an open secret, the DPP believes China is
ready to hedge against a possible Tsai victory because unstable cross-strait
relations would be considered a failure of the outgoing Chinese leadership.
The DPP called on Beijing to “realize how democracy works” and try to
collaborate with the party on the common interests of the people on both sides
of the strait if it wins the election.
Tsai’s consensus-building character and approach would be essential in her
handling domestic and external affairs, and her track record is the best proof,
Hsiao said.
With her communication skills, the 56-year-old has been able to lead the DPP
away from factional in fighting and its humiliating defeat in the 2008
presidential election when she unfiied the party after assuming the chair in
2008, Hsiao said.
Compared with 2000, when the then-DPP administration appointed a Chinese
Nationalist Party (KMT) premier, Taiwan’s democracy and its people are now more
mature and ready for a change and the end of political division, which is why
Tsai asserted that a grand coalition is achievable, Hsiao said.
“Taiwanese are fed up with animosity, exclusion and a winner-takes-all political
system,” Hsiao said.
Hsiao outlined Tsai’s campaign theme of “Fairness and Justice” and her major
policies, which focus on social and economic issues, such as the distribution of
benefits and economic growth in a 20-minute briefing, before moving on to a
question-and-answer session.
She raised a number of concerns about the elections — the lack of government
neutrality, inappropriate use of state funds and Beijing’s sophisticated
interventions.
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