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Representative
offices are political: Ma
VIRTUOUS CYCLE? The president said opening
representative offices on both sides of the Taiwan Strait would be more
politically significant than previous cross-strait agreements
By Mo Yan-chih / Staff Reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said the establishment of representative
offices on both sides of the Taiwan Strait would be of great political
significance, adding that cross-strait development had facilitated the nation’s
participation in regional economic integration.
During a meeting with members of the US’ National Committee on American Foreign
Policy at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Ma touted the government’s plan to
establish offices for the Straits Exchange Foundation in China and for the
Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits in Taiwan.
He defined the nature of the offices as political, straying from his previous
comments that the offices would be “neutral.”
“The nature of the cross-strait representative offices is not economic: It’s
political. The offices would have more political significance than previous
cross-strait agreements,” he said.
The proposal to establish the offices, which would require an amendment to the
Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland
Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), is still pending approval in the legislature.
Ma has previously said that the function of the offices would be “neutral,” and
that there are no political implications, even though the government is
negotiating with Beijing to obtain unlimited visitation rights for Taiwanese
detained in China.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Taiwan plans to set up three
representative offices in China, but that it is unlikely to allow Beijing to set
up 10 offices in Taiwan.
The establishment of the cross-strait representative offices has drawn criticism
from opposition parties.
DPP lawmakers have said the move could damage the nation’s sovereignty, adding
that China could use the offices as a channel for gathering intelligence.
However, Ma further stressed the progress of the cross-strait relations via
meetings between political leaders from the two sides during the recent APEC
summit, citing a meeting between MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) and Taiwan
Affairs Office Director Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), during which they addressed each
other by their respective official titles.
Separately yesterday, while meeting with a delegation from Russia, Ma said
cross-strait relations create a virtuous circle for the nation’s relations with
other countries.
He said the aviation agreement signed on Wednesday between Taiwan and Russia
would enhance economic and cultural exchanges.
According to Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration, the agreement will help
define the number of flights and their routes between the two countries.
Additional reporting by CNA
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