Taiwan's incoming China policymaker in a bid to head off calls for her replacement said Wednesday that she stands by president-elect Ma Ying-jeou's cross-straits policy, according to dpa. "My positions on cross-straits relations are consistent with those of Ma Ying-jeou and (vice president-elect) Vincent Siew," said Lai Shin-yuan, in a late night news conference. Lai, a former parliamentarian of the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), and harsh critic of China, was recently appointed by Ma as the chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which formulates Taiwan's China policy. Her appointment, however, backfired with both ruling and opposition politicians blasting the president-elect for choosing a pro-independence supporter as his China policymaker. Lawmakers from Nationalist or Kuomintang (KMT) Party Wednesday demanded that Ma quickly retract the appointment before it was too late. "Given the expected confusion in the future, it would be better to replace her now before the problems surface in the future," said KMT parliamentarian Lee Chia-chin. Lee was among other KMT lawmakers who believe the appointment of Lai would spell trouble once she assumes the post on May 20 as her pro-independence stance would irritate China, which has considered Taiwan a Chinese territory since the two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Lai Wednesday said that although she is a TSU member, she would not take part in any TSU activities as long as she remains as a member of the incoming Ma government. "I would faithfully carry out the policy in line with the government, and there will be no conflict of interest or ideological dispute as long as I remain in the post," she stressed. In Beijing, Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Chinese State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, declined to comment on the controversial appointment, but stressed the progress of the resumption of cross- straits talks must not be disturbed by any man-made reason. He did not elaborate. KMT lawmakers have said the appointment would stall talks on the launch of direct cross-straits flights and other cross-straits economic activities that Ma is pushing. In his campaign leading up to the March 22 presidential election, Ma promised to engage China and liberalize cross-strait economic activities and investments. Relations between Taipei and Beijing have been sour over the past eight years during the tenure of pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Beijing, which considers Taiwan an integral part of China that must be brought back into the Chinese fold if necessary by force, has refused to deal with Chen.
