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Taiwan's vice president-elect headed to China: official
Taipei (AFP) April 6, 2008 Taiwan's vice president-elect will head to China this week and could meet with President Hu Jintao, his spokesman said Sunday, amid optimism about improving ties between the cross-strait rivals. Vincent Siew will head on Friday to Hainan island in southern China for the Boao Forum for Asia, a gathering of business people and officials focused on greater trade cooperation in Asia, his spokesman Wang Yu-chi told AFP. Siew will attend the weekend forum in his capacity as the chief of a non-profit organisation he founded, Wang said. When asked if Siew would meet the Chinese president, the spokesman said: "It is not certain if Mr Siew will meet with Hu. Details of Mr Siew's itinerary have not yet been finalised." The Taipei-based China Times had quoted an unnamed Chinese official as saying that Hu -- who will give the opening address at the Boao meeting on Friday -- could meet with Siew on the sidelines of the forum. The trip would come less than three weeks after the landslide presidential victory in Taiwan of the Kuomintang's Ma Ying-jeou, who is seen as more China-friendly than his predecessor, pro-independence Chen Shui-bian. Ties between Taipei and Beijing hit new lows during Chen's eight years in office, but expectations have mounted since Ma's victory on March 22 of an easing of tensions, and a vast improvement in ties. Ma -- who takes office on May 20 -- has pledged to work to improve trade, tourism and transport links to China and on a peace treaty to end decades of hostilities which began when Taiwan split from China in 1949 after a civil war. Kuomintang lawmaker John Chiang -- the grandson of late former leader Chiang Kai-shek -- hailed the possible meeting but warned it would be "unrealistic to think that there would be great achievements" from any Hu-Siew talks. Kao Chih-peng, a lawmaker from Chen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said Siew's trip deserved close attention. "It will be a barometer to test Taipei-Beijing ties, a good opportunity to see if Beijing will use the occasion to display its goodwill to Taipei," Kao said. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links China News from SinoDaily.com
China to step up 're-education' of Tibetans
Beijing (AFP) April 5, 2008China warned on Saturday it would step up a controversial "re-education" campaign for Tibetans after a fresh protest showed a huge security crackdown had failed to extinguish nearly one month of unrest. |
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