Taiwanese premier rejects criticism he is soft on cross-strait relations
Chen Yunlin, a top mainland official in charge of Taiwan policy, would not be welcome to visit the island if he came for propaganda purposes, Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang said yesterday.
Mr Su was speaking after he came under attack from ruling Democratic Progressive Party colleagues and members of its pro-independence ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), over his attempts to relax cross-strait economic policy.
'If [Mr Chen] wants to launch a united-front offensive [against us], there is no need [for him] to bother to come to Taiwan,' Mr Su said at a tea party.
Mr Chen, who heads the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, had expressed hope he could visit the island in October for a forum on cross-strait agricultural cooperation.
If the visit went ahead, Mr Chen would become the highest-level mainland official to visit Taiwan. But observers said that under the hardline cross-strait policy adopted by independence-leaning Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, the chances of the visit eventuating were slim.
But Mr Su, the frontrunner to represent the DPP in the 2008 presidential elections, left open the possibility of Mr Chen's visit, saying Taiwan was friendly and open-minded, always welcomed visitors and honoured them as guests. He emphasised that cross-strait exchanges and interactions should be conducted on an equal footing and based on mutual benefit and respect.
