Military in ‘full control’ as centerline breached: MND

TWO TAKES:：Lawmakers had diverging opinions on a centerline breach by Chinese fighters, some saying it was a major threat, while others said it was simply a mistake
By Chris Wang and Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff Reporters
Tue, Jul 26, 2011 - Page 1

The military and national security apparatus was in “full control” when two Chinese Sukhoi-27 fighters crossed the centerline in the Taiwan Strait on June 29, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.

The Chinese-language newspaper United Daily News reported that one of the two Chinese fighter aircraft had crossed the theoretical median maritime border between Taiwan and China while allegedly pursuing a U-2S high-altitude US reconnaissance aircraft.

Two Taiwanese F-16 aircraft intercepted the Su-27s, which subsequently returned to Chinese airspace, the report said.

According to the report, the U-2 was based out of a US base in Osan, South Korea, but took off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, to execute a surveillance mission.

Inquiries to a spokesperson at the US Department of Defense to confirm the presence of a U-2 aircraft near the Taiwan Strait on June 29 remained unanswered by press time yesterday.

The ministry confirmed the veracity of the report, but added that the incident was an isolated case and was not regarded as a provocative act.

The military is closely monitoring the activities of Chinese aircraft in the airspace over the Taiwan Strait, it said in a statement.

“When any emergency situation is detected, the military will immediately send the [Taiwanese] air force to the area to deliver warnings,” the statement said.

Legislators yesterday differed on the significance of the incident.

The intrusion was an act of “aggression, demonstration, provocation and unfriendliness,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said at a press conference, adding that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the ministry should file a protest with Beijing.

The act was “an infringement of our sovereignty,” DPP legislators Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) and Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said, urging Ma and Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to protest.

The ministry handled the incident in accordance with standard operation procedure, Presidential Office spokesperson Fang Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said.

“With current cross-strait relations the best they have been in decades, I don’t think China sent those fighter aircraft to provoke Taiwan. It did so to warn the US against gathering intelligence along its southeastern coast,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said.

It might be acceptable for Taipei to express its displeasure to China about the incident, but lodging a protest would be unnecessary, Lin added.

“The incident was just a case that has sometimes occurred during the past decades and no armed aerial confrontation ensued,” Lin said.

Lin said he did not support the idea of Taiwan negotiating the creation of a confidence building mechanism (CBM) with China as a result of the incident.

“The time is not right for CBM talks … and that would worry the US,” he said.

“It’s not unusual for soldiers on the front line to commit such mistakes,” said KMT Legislator Shuai Hua-min (帥化民), a retired army general.

Shuai said Taipei should refrain from overreacting because “the centerline has always been an invisible line and the Chinese aircraft did not make their way deep into Taiwanese territory.”

“It comes down to the pilot’s behavior. Taiwanese aircraft were scrambled and the Chinese side turned back. That’s about it militarily,” he said.

If Taiwan overplays the significance of the incident, it would only stir up more trouble, Shuai said, adding that a similar situation occurred every day after former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) defined the cross-strait relationship as “state-to-state” in nature.

“It’s not necessary to demand an explanation from the mainland [China],” Shuai said.

KMT caucus whip Chao Li-yun (趙麗雲) said the caucus would invite ministry officials to brief lawmakers on the incident to clarify possible misunderstandings after the legislature convenes in late September.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER

Ma’s policies fail to develop agriculture, panelist group says

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Amid a spate of recent controversies related to agricultural development, panelists attending an agricultural forum yesterday described President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) agricultural policy as “unconcerned, incompetent and faithless.”

“Farmers feed the nation. Based on what has happened over the past three years, however, I would say that the Ma administration is unconcerned with [the state of] Taiwan’s agricultural [sector],” Lee Chin-lung (李金龍), a former Council of Agriculture (COA) chairman under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), told a forum organized by the Taiwan Brain Trust think tank.

Saying that the falling price of farm produce was “unbelievable,” Lee, a professor at National Taiwan University, added that the council was supposed to monitor agricultural prices on weekly basis and take the initiative in keeping those prices stable.

In 2004, Lee said, the DPP administration established a “95 percent mechanism,” which meant the government purchased farm produce whenever the selling price fell below 95 percent of direct production cost.

The Ma administration has failed to develop the agricultural sector, evidenced by a reduction of agricultural output and a decrease in farm household incomes, said Wu Ming-ming (吳明敏), a professor at Kainan University.

“The promotion of cross-strait agricultural exchanges and cooperation” is the only thing among the “12 pledges to farmers” in his 2008 presidential campaign that Ma has accomplished, Wu said, adding that extensive cross-strait agricultural exchanges were probably not a positive development for Taiwan.

Questions raised over leak of soldiers’ data to firms

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) yesterday said the Ministry of National Defense and other government agencies have leaked personal information about military personnel to a private human-resource firm.

Citing a report from an unnamed soldier, Huang said an inter-agency employment enhancement program leaked information about military personnel getting ready to leave the service and look for jobs without the troops’ permission, which would be a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act (個人資料保護法).

Each military unit undergoes an annual performance review, and troops had to submit personal information as part of a review out of fear that “they wouldn’t receive their service discharge orders,” Huang told a press conference.

“We all understand what happens in the military. You follow orders from your superior with no questions asked, especially when it involves the performance of your unit,” Huang said. “However, this practice is a breach of human rights because secrecy of personal information is protected by law.”

The employment-enhancement program was a collaboration of the defense ministry, the National Youth Commission, the Veterans Affairs Commission and the Council of Labor Affairs to assist soon-to-be-discharged -personnel in finding a job.

Yes123.com, which won the NT$2.1 million (US$72,725) bid from the Youth Commission this year to organize the program, used the information obtained from the defense ministry’s database to send spam to soldiers, Huang said.

The Personal Information Protection Act, which was amended in May last year, states that information collected by a government agency should “be used in accordance with the scope of its job functions.”

Colonel Yen Hua-hsing (嚴華興), from the ministry’s General Staff Headquarters, told the press conference that all military personnel participated in the program, which is in its 16th year, and submitted personal data of their own free will.

However, for the first time in 16 years, personnel were able to register for the job-hunting process through the military’s closed manpower system rather than having to fill in paperwork — a time-saving move aimed at helping the troops, said Shih Jian-chu (施建矗), director of the youth commission’s Second Department.

Given the questions over the legality of transferring personnel information from the military’s database to a commercial one, Yen agreed to consider excluding the participation rate from annual performance reviews of military units. Shih said he would re-examine the program’s content to ensure it is legal.

Tsai says DPP now moderate, reformist

MOTHER OF REINVENTION:The DPP boss told a business group that, if elected, her administration would focus on employment and upgrading industrial infrastructure
 
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will reinvent itself as a “moderate reformist” party to reassure and attract swing voters ahead of next year’s presidential election, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

Speaking to a group of Taiwanese businesspeople based in Southeast Asian countries, the DPP presidential candidate said the support of swing voters would be “crucial” in January’s election.

The swing vote is expected to be the main battleground between Tsai and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

While the definition of swing voters in Taiwan is still up for debate, it is true that some voters stress social stability above all else, Tsai said, adding: “And the Chinese Nationalist Party has been taking advantage of this mindset to woo the so-called ‘swing voters’ and to evade reform in the past.”

The KMT has given the public the impression it wants to duplicate the era of the president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), when the country was run by an authoritative regime to achieve social stability, she said.

“The DPP will neither refuse to change for the sole purpose of stability, nor insist on reform and forget about stability,” she said.

The DPP will be moderately reformist because, as a party better at recognizing the global situation than its rival, it is able to identify the most urgently needed reforms, she said.

A good team of experienced former government officials from the DPP’s previous administrations is already in place to advance the party’s ideology, she said.

“That means we’re determined and are able to take care of the underprivileged, one of the DPP’s core values,” she added.
 
Outlining what would be the priorities of her administration, if elected, Tsai said two issues stand out — providing quality jobs and upgrading industrial infrastructure.

Instead of seeking temporary solutions, such as depending on China to solve any problems as the KMT does, the DPP has always insisted on finding long-term solutions that serve the best interest of the Taiwanese, she said.

The DPP is not opposed to economic exchange with China, she said, but the exchange she has in mind is one that is practiced within a normal framework and fits with international obligations in a multilateral system.

“The exchange should not be politicized either, which is the case at the moment,” she said.

KMT, DPP spar over payouts to elderly farmers

By Shih Hsiu-chuan, Mo Yan-chih and Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporters
 
Thu, Jul 21, 2011 - Page 1
 
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday engaged in a war of words over the issue of raising the subsidies for farmers above the age of 65.

The DPP Central Standing Committee yesterday passed a resolution listing an increase in the monthly subsidy for elderly farmers from NT$6,000 to NT$7,000 as a party priority in the next legislative session.

DPP spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said farmers’ costs had increased by 12.61 percent from 2007 to last year, while the average annual household income on farms dropped from NT$937,053 in 2007 to NT$872,668 last year.

Citing statistics from the -Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), Chen said the consumer price index (CPI) had increased by 3.62 percent from 2007 to last year.

While the government has approved a 3 percent pay raise for civil servants and an increase in the monthly welfare allowance for veterans by NT$600, elderly farmers should not be ignored, Chen said.

DPP Legislator Tsai Huang--liang (蔡煌瑯) said DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) had submitted a similar proposal, but the KMT blocked it in the Procedure Committee in the previous legislative session.

Coming to the defense of the KMT government, KMT -spokesperson Lai Su-ju (賴素如) -yesterday said that DPP Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), when she served as vice premier, had threatened to launch a campaign to refuse to pay taxes if the KMT-dominated legislature at the time approved an increase from NT$5,000 to NT$6,000 in monthly subsidies for farmers, adding that the DPP’s current proposal to increase the subsidies contradicted Tsai’s previous stance.

“We cannot help but wonder whether the DPP changed its stance on the issue because elections are approaching. [It seems] the DPP is using the subsidy issue as an election tool,” she said.

Lai said the KMT had spared no efforts in raising subsidies for elderly farmers. When asked whether the party would consider increasing subsidies further, Lai said the KMT would evaluate the demands of farmers before making its final decision.

At a separate setting yesterday, an official who wished to remain anonymous said the Executive Yuan earlier this year did not back a proposal by some KMT lawmakers to increase monthly subsidies for elderly farmers because the plan was contingent on the nation’s fiscal situation.

“This does not mean that the government wavered from its consistent determination to take care of farmers,” the official said. “The government’s fiscal situation should be taken into consideration before a decision is made.”

The official made the remarks in response to a story by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday saying a government plan had been in place since March to grant an additional NT$1,000 in subsidies to elderly farmers.

“One of the main concerns is that the proposal might have a crowding-out effect, but we will give serious consideration to the suggestion,” the official said.

The DGBAS estimated that the proposal would require an annual budget increase of NT$8 billion.

Asked to comment, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said the proposal had been discussed at a regular meeting of top government and KMT officials.

He did not say if the meeting was in March when the government came close to a decision to give a 3 percent pay raise covering 1.25 million government employees who opted for monthly pensions, including civil servants, school teachers, military personnel, starting this month.

KMT lawmakers have offered amendments to the Temporary Statute Regarding the Welfare Pension of Senior Farmers (老年農民福利津貼暫行條例), while there was no proposal by the DPP, Wang said.

According to the statute, farmers older than 65 are entitled to a NT$6,000 monthly allowance as long as they have been insured in the Farmers’ Health Insurance program for more than six months and have not received a pension from other social insurance programs.

KMT Legislator Chung Shao-ho (鍾紹和) proposed the subsidy be increased to NT$10,000, rebutting DPP allegations that he made an irresponsible offer. He said the amount was based on the minimum cost of living set by the Ministry of the Interior — which was NT$14,000 in Taipei City.

President unveils agency meant to fight corruption

FEARS:：To test the neutrality of the agency, DPP officials have put forward a list of 10 potential corruption cases that involve President Ma and Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin
 
By Rich Chang and Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporters
 
Thu, Jul 21, 2011 - Page 1
 
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday vowed to rid the nation of corruption at a ceremony marking the establishment of the Agency Against Corruption (AAC), while the opposition cast doubt on the neutrality of the new agency.

“After the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Panel [SIP] revealed a serious scandal involving several Taiwan High Court judges, I decided to establish the nation’s first anti-corruption agency,” Ma told the ceremony.

The purpose of the AAC is to prevent corruption, because prevention should precede crackdowns, he said, adding that its creation should deter public servants from engaging in corrupt activities.

“As the agency investigates corruption cases, one precondition is that it must collect sufficient evidence [of corruption] before it makes an indictment [of a public servant],” Ma said, adding that this should increase the conviction rate.

Ma said public servants who find themselves under criminal investigation would see their reputation severely jeopardized. Their families would feel the impact, spouses would not want to go to work and children would be afraid to go to school, Ma said, adding that because of this, the agency must be careful and precise in how it conducts investigations.

In the early days of Transparency International, a non--governmental organization that publishes a global ranking of countries based on their level of corruption each year, Taiwan ranked No. 25, Ma said.

“Taiwan’s worst ranking was 39th place, but it has improved to 33rd place,” Ma said. “I have found that the top 10 countries in the ranking are all well-developed and highly competitive — and integrity is tantamount to competition.”

Turning to criticism that the AAC, which falls under the Ministry of Justice, does not have the power to carry out investigations against senior government bureaus and their officials and that it should have been made part of the Presidential Office or the Executive Yuan, as is the case in Singapore and Hong Kong, Ma said those fears were the result of a misunderstanding.

“Taiwanese prosecutors are only law enforcement officers who conduct criminal prosecution,” Ma said. “The AAC is headed by a number of prosecutors, so no matter where the agency is located or its level of authority, prosecutors can bring the cases to court without political pressure.”

The agency will investigate -corruption-related crimes and supervise the ethics divisions of various government agencies.

The AAC will be headquartered in Taipei and will have three branches in Taipei, Greater Taichung and Greater Kaohsiung, with a total staff of 240 people.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday said it feared the new agency could represent a “second wind for the SIP, which has become a tool for the current administration to carry out political oppression.”

“We want to know whether the agency is for real, so the DPP has collected information on 10 [potential] corruption cases involving President Ma, who served as Taipei mayor in [some of] the cases, as well as Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌),” DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said.

In one case implicating Ma, Tsai said that during his first term as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman in 2005, Ma sold the Broadcasting Corp of China (中國廣播公司), China Television Co (中國電視公司) and Central Motion Picture Corp (中央電影公司) — all ill-gotten KMT assets — at a very low price.

Ma was also suspected of illegally rezoning land for the National Development Institute when he was Taipei mayor, as the party was in the process of selling KMT-owned property, Tsai said.

Veteran advocate Koo backs Tsai’s ‘Taiwanese’ line

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Veteran Taiwan-independence advocate Koo Kwang-min (辜寬敏) yesterday backed Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) campaign slogan of “I am Taiwanese,” saying that the slogan is “as simple as it can get for real Taiwanese.”

The slogan, which appears in Tsai’s first campaign commercial, has been criticized by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) campaign as “inciting ethnic divisions.”

“Is there anything wrong with Taiwanese calling themselves Taiwanese? I would say that those who feel uncomfortable with the description are the ones who have the identity problem,” said Koo, 84, a former presidential adviser.

After Ma’s campaign staff criticized Tsai’s slogan, Ma this month wrote on his Facebook page: “I am a descendant of the Yellow Emperor in blood and I identify with Taiwan in terms of my identity. I fight for Taiwan and I am Taiwanese. In nationality, I am a Republic of China [ROC] citizen and I am the president of the ROC.”

“Based on what Ma has done [during the past three years], I wonder how many people would believe his claim of being Taiwanese,” Koo said yesterday, urging voters to support Tsai in the presidential election, which he described as a battle between the DPP and a united front of the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party.

Responding to questions about the recent controversy surrounding the DPP’s legislators-at-large roster, Koo said the list seemed “incomplete” to many people, but he refrained from criticizing Tsai, who played a key role in the compilation of the list.

Koo voiced his support for DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), who is No. 22 on the roster and outside the so-called “safe zone” of the 34-member list, saying that Chai has the best connections with the US Congress among DPP lawmakers, and thus would be a valuable asset for the party.

Koo, founder of the Taiwan Brain Trust think tank, yesterday also endorsed eight young legislative candidates nominated by the DPP.

The candidates — Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), Ho Po-wen (何博文), Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國), Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏), Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘), David Huang (黃適卓), Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) and Lai Yen-hsueh (賴燕雪) — have formed a coalition called “Our Generation” to advocate a joint effort to advance rights for the underprivileged and the disadvantaged, including women, young people, immigrants, farmers, workers and the handicapped.

TNP, groups file suit against SIP

SUBORDINATION OF PERJORY:The lawsuit accused the SIP of cutting a deal with ex-Chinatrust vice chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr to testify against former president Chen
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

A group made up of 26 civic organizations yesterday sued the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Panel (SIP), accusing it of forging documents, subornation of perjury and abuse of judicial power.

Led by Taiwanese National Party (TNP) Chairman Huang Hua (黃華), the groups filed the lawsuit with the Taipei District Court against the SIP, which they said cut a deal with former -Chinatrust -Financial Holding Co (中信金控) vice chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒) to testify against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in an attempt to imprison him.

Koo, who was involved in a scandal over Chinatrust’s bid for rival Mega Financial Holdings Co (兆豐金控) — known as the Red Fire Case (紅火案), after the name of the offshore company used to conduct the illegal transaction — returned to Taiwan in 2008 after evading an arrest warrant and hiding in Japan for two years.

The banker testified at the time that he had donated about NT$300 million (US$10.4 million) of his illegal profits to Chen, currently serving a 17-and-a-half-year term for corruption and money laundering, as a kickback.

Koo’s lawyers told the Taiwan High Court in May that Koo did not remit the money to Chen, adding that he testified out of fear of being detained upon his return to Taiwan.

Koo was released on bail after returning from Japan and was sentenced to nine years in prison in October last year.

The SIP, including former prosecutor Yueh Fang-ju (越方如) who flew to Japan to persuade Koo to return, is suspected of coercing Koo to commit perjury, Huang said.

Despite the SIP’s conclusion on July 4 that no prosecutor had abused his power in the Chen case, the civic groups decided to file the lawsuit in the interest of upholding social justice and human rights, he said.

The groups also said former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) recent indictment on charges of embezzling state funds was a “similar act of oppression against Taiwanese.”

The Lee and Chen cases were both acts of “political oppression,” Huang said.

Dozens of members of the groups chanted slogans calling for “judicial reform” and saying “Taiwanese are innocent” in front of the court.

They also urged the establishment of a jury system.

Taipei mayor urged to scrap botched exams

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Lawmakers and teachers’ representatives yesterday called on Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to scrap the controversial tri-city high-school entrance exams to avoid more trouble that could jeopardize students’ future.

The exams, used in Taipei, New Taipei City (新北市) and Keelung as part of the three municipalities’ single--textbook policy, sparked controversy after students complained about the school application process, which they said had “ambiguous admissions thresholds.”

The admission process created difficulties for students and parents, who have since focused their anger at the municipal governments.

The idea for the exam originated in 2007 out of “narrow-minded regionalism,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said at a forum organized by the Taiwan Brain Trust (TBT) think tank.

It was the brainchild of Hau and Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基), who at the time headed Taipei’s Department of Education, who wanted to replace the nationwide examinations and the multiple-textbook policy of the then-DPP central government, Kuan said.

The problems caused by the exams were “fundamental issues” rather than “technical” as described by Hau, she said, adding that with the national 12-year compulsory education scheduled to be implemented in 2014, if Hau refused to terminate the exams, students in the three municipalities could face four different high-school entrance systems in the five years from last year until 2014.

“We’re talking about students’ future here. How can a national exam be an experimental -project?” Kuan asked.

The tri-city exams, which were created with the aim of reducing stress for students and to be unique, have failed to accomplish their main goal, National Teachers’ Union secretary-general Wu Chung-tai (吳忠泰) said.

“The questions [on the tri-city exams] are not much different from the nationwide exams,” Wu said. “The experimental exams are not necessary, because we’re only two years away from the 12-year compulsory system.”

DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said the party would terminate the exams if it returns to power next year and urged Wu Ching-ji to step up and resolve the controversy.

“We need to hear what New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Keelung [Mayor Chang Tong-rong (張通榮)] have to say about the exam,” TBT chief executive officer Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said. “They haven’t spoken at all.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER

NTNU drops ‘national’ in ads

ROLL OVER, BEND OVER:National Taiwan Normal University has dropped the word ‘national’ as a demonstration of ‘goodwill’ in hopes of attracting Chinese students
By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

A Taiwanese public university yesterday confirmed at a forum on cross-strait affairs that it had changed its name in an effort to attract more Chinese students, while a Chinese academic dared Taiwan to join an “experiment in democracy” in China.

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) has made extensive efforts to attract Chinese students, who will be allowed to enroll starting in September, NTNU professor Tsai Chang-yen (蔡昌言) said at the Cross-Strait Competitiveness Forum organized by the National Competitiveness Forum think tank.

In the school’s promotional posters and application brochures in simplified Chinese, the word “national” is not included in the school name, a move to demonstrate “goodwill” to China, Tsai said as he showed the poster to the audience.

Speaking earlier, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chao Chien-ming (趙建民) attributed what he called Taiwan’s loss of national competitiveness to the “mishandling of cross-strait relations,” without elaborating.

Chao accused former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) of “taking the nation in the wrong direction since the middle of the 1990s,” about the time when Lee put political identity above economic development and everything else.

Taiwan spent too much energy on “meaningless activities” during that period, Chao said.

Meanwhile, Li Minrong (李閩榕), director of the Development Research Center under the Fujian Provincial Government, raised eyebrows, when he said that political systems can be experimental, adding that a project could be launched in Pingtan, Fujian Province, to encourage bilateral cooperation on economic affairs.

“Since Taiwan has always been proud of its democratic system, China is open to a ‘political experiment’ at Pingtan Park. We [China] dare Taiwan to join the experiment,” Li said.

Democracies in the West and the East differ in form and character because of the difference in culture and background, Li added.

National Competitiveness Forum chief executive Hsieh Ming-hui (謝明輝) focused on a potential meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).

“If re-elected in January, Ma is expected to accelerate cross-strait engagement in his second term to achieve a ‘breakthrough’ in bilateral relations,” Hsieh said.

With Hu scheduled to leave office in November next year, “the best time for the two leaders to meet falls between Taiwan’s presidential election and Hu’s departure,” Hsieh said.

The Ma-Hu meeting would be a new start for cross-strait relations and a catalyst for ensuing developments, such as a peace accord or a military confidence-building mechanism, he said.

Meanwhile, in a surprise move, Wang Teng-kun (王騰坤), an assistant professor at National Chung Cheng University and deputy director of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) youth department, challenged Straits Exchange Foundation Vice Chairman Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) over his presentation earlier at the conference.

Kao’s briefing on cross-strait relations, Wang said, failed to mention how much Taiwan’s agricultural sector had suffered since the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) came into force.

In a brief response, Kao brushed off the criticism.