Friday, July 13, 2012

Wang Jin-pyng meets Tsai Ing-wen over charity

NOTHING UNTOWARD:Legislative Speaker and KMT heavyweight Wang Jin-pyng said President Ma Ying-jeou had been informed of the meeting
By Chris Wang and Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporters

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) on Wednesday night for a private discussion about the charity foundation she plans to launch next month, Tsai’s office said in a press release yesterday.

The meeting drew attention primarily because of Wang’s status as a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member.

Wang played down the significance of his meetings with DPP members, saying he always informed President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as KMT chairman, on all meetings with members of the opposition party.

According to Wang, he had also met DPP Chairperson Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and DPP caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) for discussions on the upcoming extra legislative session.

Wang said he told Ma before and after he led a delegation on a week-long visit to Japan last week that he would make contact with DPP leaders to discuss matters related to the extra session, which is scheduled for July 24 through July 27.

The first session of the Eighth Legislature ended on June 15, with various controversial issues — including an amendment designed to allow imports of US beef containing traces of the feed additive ractopamine — left unresolved due to a boycott staged by the DPP-led opposition.

He met with Tsai to ask her to exert her influence on DPP lawmakers to ensure the smooth running of meetings during the extra session, adding that he met with Su for the same reason.

Wang said the appointment with Tsai was made several months ago when they were both traveling on the same high-speed train.

DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and former finance minister Lin Chuan (林全) were also present, Wang said.