We can pursue the desires of the majority of the public, James Soong says
People First Party chairman James Soong Chu-yu yesterday vowed to unite with the KMT in an effort to have the Taiwanese legislature adopt the communique which he reached with Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao .
At a press conference held after his landmark talks with Mr Hu, Mr Soong said that attempting to have the communique adopted was the responsibility of an opposition party in a democratic system. But even if passed, the measures would not be enforceable without the consent of the Taiwanese government.
'We cannot replace the [Taiwanese] government and its exercise of public powers. However, the PFP will not belittle ourselves just because we are an opposition party. We can unite with the Kuomintang and pursue the desires of the majority of the public,' Mr Soong said.
The 63-year-old leader of Taiwan's second-largest opposition party said that after deep and frank discussions, the PFP and Communist Party had agreed on a joint communique which included new terminology to describe the current state of mainland-Taiwan relations as 'two sides, one China', and new mechanisms to push for direct transport links and tariff-free imports of Taiwanese agricultural products to the mainland.
Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has so far refused to implement such proposals until Beijing negotiates with it as an equal entity.
However, Mr Soong said his party would put the communique to the legislature to pressure the government to adopt the measures. Combined, the PFP and its KMT ally hold a majority in the legislature.
