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MAC chief vows to protect Taiwan's rights in cross-strait talks

ROC Central News Agency

2009/12/13 21:49:34

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) The nation's top China policy planner vowed again Sunday to safeguard Taiwan's interests during the next round of talks between Taiwan and China that will take place later this month in Taichung, central Taiwan.

Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan also said she hoped plans by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to hold large protest rallies would not lead to skirmishes during the talks.

"I hope there will be no confrontation so as not to affect Taiwan's image internationally, " Lai said while in her hometown of Taichung to attend the inauguration of the Lai Family Shrine, during which she exchanged views with DPP Taichung City councilors Chang Liao Wan-chien and Huang Kuo-shu.

Chang Liao said the attitude of the police will be crucial, urging them to "respect the people's expression of views and venting of negative feelings, " and not to adopt coercive measures to "contain" their activities.

Huang suggested that the MAC run more ads to enable people to better understand "cross-strait" issues.

Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) , and Chen Yunlin, president of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), are scheduled to meet in Taichung for their fourth round of talks and expected to sign agreements on fishing crew cooperation, agricultural quarantine inspection, industrial product standards, inspection and certification, and the avoidance of double taxation.

Chiang said Sunday that he has told his counterpart that there might be protests during the talks, which will demonstrate that Taiwan is a free and democratic society.

He said that the resumption of institutionalized talks is aimed at achieving peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait.

But "the core value of Taiwan lies in its democracy, and democracy incorporates different voices," Chiang said.

The freedom to express different views should be protected and it is natural to have protests, said Chiang, who added that he had said the same thing to his Chinese counterpart.

But he also said that "freedom is restrained by law and should be rational, " and he expressed the hope that it will be "a good opportunity for China's delegates to see Taiwan as a democratic and orderly society." During the second round of SEF-ARATS talks that took place in Taipei in November last year, Chen and the other Chinese negotiators were besieged by protesters at a Taipei hotel after attending a dinner party hosted by Kuomintang Honorary Chairman Lien Chan.

Chen and other members of his delegation were unable to leave the hotel until after midnight, despite a strong police presence.

Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah said earlier that such disturbances should not be allowed to happen again.

(By Hao Hsueh-chin, Kuo Mei-lan and Lilian Wu) enditem/ls