TAIWAN'S opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has indicated its readiness to play a more active role in mainland affairs, including unofficial exchanges with Beijing authorities.
However, DPP Secretary-General David Chiang told the South China Morning Post that progress in his party's relations with Beijing depended on whether the latter was willing to drop its hostility and prejudice against Taiwan's main opposition party.
In recent months, a group of DPP leaders visited Beijing in their capacity as members of the Legislative Yuan.
Mr Chiang said such exchanges were ''good for mutual understanding'', but he hinted further and higher-level visits would hinge on whether Beijing was willing to change its attitude towards his party.
''Beijing tends to raise its guard in matters relating to the DPP,'' Mr Chiang said.
''They [Communist Party officials] still insist on preconditions before they are prepared to talk to us. These include our accession to the principle of reunification [with the mainland].'' Mr Chiang said another delegation of DPP legislators to Beijing had been aborted because of these ''preconditions''.
The Secretary-General, who is also a former DPP chairman, said his party was in principle against ''party-to-party'' talks on political issues, adding that, when the time was ripe, bilateral exchanges in this area should be conducted on a governmental basis.