Hong Kong and Macau have been more conservative than Beijing in dealing with Taipei, the island's President said yesterday.
Chen Shui-bian called on the SAR Government to be more pragmatic when handling Taiwan.
'It is regrettable that in some areas they are even more conservative than Beijing when dealing with cross-strait relations,' Kyodo news agency quoted Mr Chen as telling Hong Kong-based Taiwanese entrepreneurs.
Mr Chen's plea is the first of its kind since his Government took office in May last year.
Relations between Hong Kong and Taiwan soured in 1999 after Taiwan's de facto envoy at that time, Cheng An-kuo, head of the Chung Hwa Travel Service, defended ex-Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui's controversial theory that the island and mainland had 'special state-to-state' relations.
Mr Cheng's successor, Chang Liang-jen, was reportedly asked to sign a document denying he represented the Taipei Government, which was unacceptable for Taiwan. Mr Chang was eventually granted a work visa in January after a year-long delay.
In March, two Taiwanese cabinet members almost cancelled trips to Hong Kong for a financial conference after claiming the territory had asked them to sign documents placing restrictions on their activities while in the SAR. The stand-off was resolved after the Government withdrew the request.
