Taiwan media praise, blast Lien-Hu meeting

TAIPEI - Taiwan newspapers were polarised today over opposition leader Lien Chan's meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, with some praising Lien for improving ties and others accusing him of selling out Taiwan.

Lien's Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party ended decades of enmity on Friday with a historic meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People - photographs of which were splashed across the front pages of all the island's major dailies.

The civil war enemies agreed to avoid military conflict in the Taiwan Strait, one of Asia's most dangerous flashpoints, and to facilitate the resumption of dialogue stalled since 1999.

Lien "sang the notes of peace all the way up to the clouds", said the mass-circulation China Times in an editorial. "This means there will be a new round of competition and cooperation in cross-strait relations under the theme of peace."

Lien was the first KMT, or Nationalist Party, leader to set foot in China since the KMT mainland government was toppled by Mao Zedong's Communist armies and fled to Taiwan in 1949.

While Lien said he was on a "journey of peace" to improve relations, he has come under fire at home for kowtowing to Beijing so soon after it enacted an anti-secession law, which sanctioned war against Taiwan if it pushed for formal statehood.

The KMT supports eventual unification with a democratic China. Beijing claims sovereignty over democratic Taiwan, still officially called the Republic of China.

"We had not expected Lien Chan to speak for the Republic of China, or Taiwan, after he returned to the motherland. But surprisingly, he wanted to sell out the Republic of China and Taiwan together," said the pro-independence Liberty Times.

"Establishing a communication platform between the Republic of China and Communist China underlines the fact that he joins hands with the communists," the editorial said.

At Friday's talks, Lien and Hu also agreed to discuss a common market, increase and guarantee investment and trade across the Strait and smooth exports of Taiwan farm produce to China.

Some commentators said the onus was now on the pro-independence government of President Chen Shui-bian to follow through. However, Beijing refuses to deal with Chen unless he first renounces his desire to see Taiwan independent.

"The Lien-Hu meeting has came to an end and the focus is switching to how President Chen Shui-bian will react," the Chinese-language United Daily News said in its editorial.

"Our suggestion is: it is not appropriate for President Chen to veto or give negative judgement like his past reactions. If his words go too far or are unpleasant to hear, it will take a longer time to go back to the path in the future."

- REUTERS