Pro-Lee Group Puts Cross-Straits Ties at RiskThe imminent establishment of a pro-Lee Teng-hui political group has again proved the former Taiwan leader's "stubborn insistence" on pushing for the island's independence, a leading expert on Taiwan affairs said Wednesday.Chu Shulong, a researcher with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, continued to warn that the move will impose a "negative influence" on already-strained cross-Straits ties. He made the comments after the pro-Lee group made its official title and group emblem public on Monday to co-operate with Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian from the ruling pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Called the Taiwan Solidarity Union, the group will recommend 38 candidates to run in the year-end "legislative and local government elections," media reports said. The new group reportedly sticks to Lee's "two states" theory, which defines cross-Straits ties as "state-to-state or at least special state-to-state relationship." Meanwhile, it also opposes easing restrictions on mainland-bound investment, which is contained in Lee's "go slow, be patient" policy. Chu noted that the pro-Lee group's title and its reported platform have exposed its true nature as a pro-independence political group. "First of all, Lee attempts to sever the ties between the island and Chinese mainland and thus make them confront each other by giving prominence to 'Taiwan' in its title," he said. "His second attempt is to unite all pro-independence forces around him and Chen to push ahead with their pursuit of Taiwan independence." Most key members of the group, including organizer Huang Chu-wen, are Lee's close followers and the group will reportedly praise Lee, who stepped down as former Taiwan leader in May 2000, as their "spiritual leader." Chu said Chen's poor performance in carrying forward Lee's political legacy contributed to the former leader's eagerness to re-emerge on the political stage. "It seems that this time Lee would rather go all out to help Chen," who is battling a flagging economy and political turmoil on the island, the expert said. Wang Zaixi, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council, said Lee's move demonstrated that the 78-year-old retired politician is still clinging to his political conspiracy of splitting the motherland. Lee's recent political activities, including his visits to Japan and the United States, aim to ensure that his pro-independence concept is upheld in the island by fostering pro-independence forces, Wang said. Chu said Lee's move will undoubtedly interfere with the normal development of cross-Straits relations and aggravate tension in bilateral ties through its "negative influence." However, Lee's limited influence and capability as a retired politician is not powerful enough to save the pro-independence bid from failure, Chu stressed. He cited the fact that Lee's "two states" theory, which was met with strong opposition both from across the Taiwan Straits and the international community, has been finally abandoned by the Kuomintang (KMT) party after Lee resigned as KMT chairman in March last year. "So how much power can you expect from such an aged man to undermine the eventual reunification between the island and the Chinese mainland?" Chu asked. "He is just making noise as an empty show of strength." Source: China Daily |
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