By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party Chair Su Tseng-chang and American Institute in Taiwan Director Christopher Marut talk at a meeting in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Li Hsin-fang, Taipei Times / courtesy of the Democratic Progressive Party
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) yesterday applauded former premier Frank Hsieh’s (謝長廷) recent visit to China as a success and said Hsieh’s initiative of “constitutions with different interpretations” (憲法各表) would be more likely to be accepted by Beijing than the Chinese Nationalist Party’s “one China, with different interpretations.”
“Strike while it’s hot,” Hsu said, adding that this is the best time for the party to establish the China Affairs Committee and follow up on Hsieh’s landmark visit by starting to resolve the difficulties between the DPP and the Chinese Communist Party.
Hsu made the comments at his office, where Hsieh visited him yesterday morning. The former premier has been visiting party heavyweights to seek their opinions since returning from China on Oct. 8.
Hsu and Hsieh are both seen as moderates in the DPP because of their dovish views on China policy.
Hsu called Hsieh’s proposal to replace the so-called “1992 consensus” with “constitutions with different interpretations” as the foundation for regular and normalized cross-strait exchanges “the best solution” he has seen so far.
The DPP’s China policy would only be successful if Beijing found it acceptable and Beijing’s Taiwan policy would not be a success if it was not accepted by the DPP, Hsu said.
Hsieh urged strategic ambiguity on cross-strait dialogues, saying that a “lay it all out” political dialogue would likely cause division and conflict, which is why both sides should begin their dialogue on issues such as history, culture and shared values, among others.
Democracy and freedom would be sensitive issues, Hsieh said.
“Talking about the Constitution would be not as sensitive, but we all know that democracy, rule of law and freedom are written in the Constitution,” he said.
“In other words, we are promoting Taiwanese values in a more tactful way,” Hsieh said.
Meanwhile, American Institute in Taiwan Director Christopher Marut said in a meeting with DPP officials yesterday that the US supported engagement across the Taiwan Strait at all levels, including interaction between China and the DPP.
Marut said the US had long supported “all levels of cross-strait engagement” and welcomed the recent interaction between DPP leaders and their Chinese counterparts, including the recent visit by Hsieh.
This kind of direct communication is very important to building understanding and “we think that also contributes to long-term cross-strait stability,” he said in a prepared statement in response to a question on the DPP’s interaction with China’s leaders.
Marut made the remarks after a closed-door meeting with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Marut, who arrived in Taipei to assume his duties in the middle of last month, described his meeting with Su as “a great opportunity to get acquainted and to look forward to the future.”
Additional reporting by CNA