Sunday, December 27, 2009

Slang against Chinese envoy stirs up local political discussion

    Taipei,  Dec.  27 (CNA)  A local  media story quoting  an unnamed Taiwanese official who used a pejorative  to brand Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin  as  a "C-list"  politician  was  incorrect,  a top  Taiwanese negotiator  with  China  said in a hastily  called  press  conference Sunday.

    In a story published  a day earlier by the China Times daily,  an official  of  the  Straits  Exchange  Foundation  (SEF)  --  Taiwan's quasi-official  organization  set up to deal with cross-Taiwan Strait negotiations  --  was quoted  as saying  that the situation  of three Taiwanese political heavyweights  trying to meet with Chen during his five-day visit that concluded  Friday was like "the A-listers  versus the C-listers," with Chen as the "C-list" politician.

    SEF Chairman  Chiang Pin-kung,  who signed three agreements  with Chen the previous week, questioned the authenticity of the story at a press conference, saying the report was not true.

    Major newspapers  and news Web sites in Taiwan  had all dedicated extensive  coverage  to the topic over the past two days.  The story, which described former ruling Kuomintang (KMT)  chairmen Wu Po-hsiung and Lien Chan, and opposition People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong as "A-list  politicians  who were desperately  seeking  to meet with  Chen,  a C-list  official  in China,  " stirred  up a political discussion,  with President  Ma Ying-jeou  saying  that the usage was
"inappropriate and disrespectful."

    Meanwhile, Premier Wu Den-yih told reporters that "the use of the expression  probably needs more contemplation, " while Soong said the statement would "have a negative impact on cross-strait relations."

    Responding  to reporters'  questions,  Mainland  Affairs  Council (MAC)  Chairwoman  Lai Hsin-yuan said that "there is no such thing as A-list or C-list in cross-strait exchanges because the people are the most important factor."