Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) The main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is planning to establish a think tank to help formulate its China policy and improve the party's engagement with China, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday.
The DPP welcomes any form of dialogue with China as long as no prerequisites are set, Tsai said in a briefing for foreign media three days after her defeat in the Nov. 27 municipality mayoral elections.
The DPP secured just two of the five municipalities but won more of the popular votes than its rival, the ruling Kuomintang (KMT).
Tsai also highlighted the party's progress in the city council elections that took place alongside the mayoral elections, as the DPP won as many seats on the five city councils as the KMT, with both parties tied at 130.
The DPP plans to spend several months discussing its China policy, which will be a part of the party's "10 year platform" covering a wide range of issues, she said, although she did not set a timetable.
The DPP's new China policy under Tsai is greatly anticipated, as she has been trying to move the party more to the middle and appeal to moderate voters after its previous hardline stance earned it an "anti-China" label.
Tsai, who received more than a million votes in the Xinbei City mayoral election but lost to the KMT's Eric Liluan Chu, said the funding for the think tank will come from her election subsidy of more than NT$30 million. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J