• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

No plans to meet China's top negotiator: premier

ROC Central News Agency

2009/11/10 20:36:01
Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) Premier Wu Den-yih said Tuesday that there is no plan for him to meet China's top negotiator on Taiwan matters - Chen Yunlin, president of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) - during Chen's visit to Taiwan next month.

"As far as I know, there is no such plan at this time," Wu said in an interview with the Central News Agency.

Wu said Chen should be received by Lai Shin-yuan, chairwoman of Taiwan's Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council, just as Chen's Taiwanese counterpart Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the Taipei-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), was received by Lai's Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the head of the Taiwan Affairs Office under China's State Council, during the last round talks in Nanjing in April.

The upcoming visit by Chen will be the fourth round of talks between Chen and Chiang and is scheduled to take place in December in the central Taiwanese city of Taichung.

Four agreements are expected to be signed at the talks, covering cooperation on fishing crew members, agricultural quarantine inspection, industrial product standards, inspection and certification, and the avoidance of double taxation.

As to how the government will handle possible protests that might be launched by pro-independence groups during the meeting in Taichung, Wu said that he has faith in the people of Taiwan that they will not carry out outrageous actions against their guests.

"We as the host should know how to treat our guest properly, while the guest would also behave accordingly. It would humiliate Taiwan and the Republic of China if one tries to disgrace Chen Yunlin, who is invited to discuss economic and trade issues with his Taiwanese counterpart," Wu said.

During Chen's first visit to Taipei last November, he was stranded in a hotel for several hours after attending a dinner hosted in his honor by Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang, because pro-independence and anti-China protesters blocked the hotel's exits.

A total of 149 police officers were injured by protesters while trying to ensure the safety of Chen and his entourage.

Wu said that the government will not try to impede or ban the assembly rights and freedom of speech of Taiwanese people during Chen's visit, but that "there is always a line (which should not be crossed) to ensure the safety, dignity and convenience of the guest." (By Rachel Chan) Enditem/cs