Taiwan wants to join RCEP, KMT official tells China President

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan hopes to participate in international activities and regional economic integration as soon as possible, Kuomintang Honorary Chairman Wu Po-hsiung told China President Xi Jinping in Beijing Thursday.

The two-hour meeting was the first high-level encounter between a KMT leader and Xi since the latter became president last March. Earlier, KMT Honorary Chairman Lien Chan met him after he had taken up the position of Chinese Communist Party general secretary.

Wu told a news conference later Thursday that he had told Xi that Taiwan wanted to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership as soon as possible since it would complete the organization and protect Taiwan’s economic interests in the Asia Pacific region.

The RCEP is a trade group planned to start operations by the end of 2015. Present talks include the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Wu also told Xi he hoped that China could understand how society in Taiwan longed for meaningful participation in international activities. Beijing has often blocked the island nation’s entrance into international organizations or participation in conferences and meetings because it claims Taiwan as a province.

Xi reportedly replied that the matter could be solved through equal-level negotiations between the two sides, the KMT official told reporters.

Wu also mentioned the plan for the establishment of permanent representative offices for the Straits Exchange Foundation in China and for China’s Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits in Taiwan. Critics have said the Chinese office in Taipei would become a center for propaganda and intelligence gathering.

Wu told reporters he had told Xi Taiwan was hoping for an education accord to strengthen cultural exchanges and for a currency exchange agreement. The senior KMT figure also reiterated his party’s commitment to a One China policy and to its opposition to Taiwan Independence.

During the part of the meeting with Xi open to the media, Wu said he believed that Taiwan and China had enough wisdom not to let the days of war ever return again. The KMT politician told Xi he hoped the Chinese leader’s work would be propitious since it not only affected the well-being of both sides but also the global situation.

Xi said in his reply that his government would continue to strive for the deepening of the cross-straits relationship.

Before the delegation’s departure for Beijing Wednesday, President Ma Ying-jeoudescribed the official party-to-party meeting as an important step to look back at the interaction of the past five years but also to consider the future direction of cross-straits relations. Ma’s comment that the offices would not serve as embassies since Taiwan and China did not have state-to-state relations was attacked by critics as further evidence that the president was willing to sacrifice Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence.

The KMT delegation included former National Security Council Secretary General Su Chi, Legislative Vice Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu in her capacity as one of the KMT’s vice chairpersons, vice chairperson and Chiayi City Mayor Huang Min-huei and former vice chairman Chan Chun-po, a longtime confidant of Ma.

Wu drew a wave of criticism last year when during a meeting with Xi’s predecessor Hu Jintao he described Taiwan and China as ‘One China, Two Areas,’ downgrading Taiwan from its status as a sovereign and independent nation.

June 13, 2013

Source: Taiwan News