2005 Pan-Blue visits to mainland China

The 2005 Pan-Blue visits to mainland China were a series of groundbreaking visits by delegations of the Kuomintang

Kuomintang

The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...

(KMT) to mainland China

Mainland China

Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...

. They were hailed as the highest level of exchange between the Communist Party of China

Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...

and the Kuomintang

Kuomintang

since Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

and Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...

met in Chongqing

Chongqing

Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

on August 28, 1945.

On March 28, 2005, the Kuomintang's vice chairman Chiang Pin-kung

Chiang Pin-kung

Chiang Pin-kung is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He is currently vice-chairman of the Kuomintang , and chairman of Straits Exchange Foundation .-Biography:...

led a delegation in the first official visit to mainland China by a senior leader of the Kuomintang in 60 years. Later, on April 26, 2005, a 70-member delegation led by the Kuomintang's chairman Lien Chan

Lien Chan

Lien Chan is a politician in Taiwan. He was Premier of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1997, Vice President of the Republic of China from 1996 to 2000, and was the Chairman of the Kuomintang from 2000 to 2005...

left Taipei

Taipei

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

for Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

via Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, launching Lien Chan

Lien Chan

's 8-day Taiwan Strait

Taiwan Strait

The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...

peace tour, also the first such visit to mainland China in 60 years.

While in mainland China, Lien met with General Secretary Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...

and expressed interest in improving cross-strait dialogues

Political status of Taiwan

The controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan hinges on whether Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu should remain effectively independent as territory of the Republic of China , become unified with the territories now governed by the People's Republic of China , or formally declare...

. Both also re-affirmed a belief in the "One China principle

One-China policy

The One-China policy refers to the policy or view that there is only one state called "China", despite the existence of two governments that claim to be "China"....

", which was not acknowledged by Taiwan's then-ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party

Democratic Progressive Party

The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...

(DPP).

Lien's itinerary also included visits to Xi'an

Xi'an

Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...

, where he had lived as a child during the Second Sino-Japanese War

Second Sino-Japanese War

The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...

and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

; Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

, the former capital of the Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

and the site of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum is situated at the foot of the second peak of Mount Zijin in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926 and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was Lu Yanzhi, who died shortly after it was finished.- History :Dr...

; and Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, China's largest city and site of extensive Taiwanese financial and economic investment in recent years.

Background

In 2004, the KMT first proposed that the former president candidate Lien Chan would visit mainland China as the elected President of the Republic of China, but this was set aside as Lien failed to win the 2004 ROC Presidential Election. In 2005, the KMT suggested initially sending the vice chairman of the party to mainland China, with further visits to follow. This plan was followed through on March 28, when Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung led his delegation to mainland China.

Chiang's visit

As part of the "Ice breaking tour", Chiang started his trip in Guangzhou

Guangzhou

Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

, China

China

to visit the graves of dozens of KMT members who died during an uprising against the Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

in 1911. On the morning of March 30, the delegation visited the Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...

Mausoleum in Nanjing, then headed for Beijing to meet with CPPCC chairman Jia Qinglin

Jia Qinglin

Jia Qinglin is a senior leader of the People's Republic of China. He is the fourth ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman and Party secretary of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference. Jia's functions as...

. At the meeting, Jia conveyed Hu Jintao's invitation for Lien to Chiang. On April 1, Lien accepted the invitation at the Aichi Expo 2005

Expo 2005

Expo 2005 was the World's Fair held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. It was a Specialized International Exhibition under the scheme of the 1972 protocol of the Convention relating to International Exhibitions...

Chiang Kai-shek International Airport

Lien Chan and his 70-member delegation departed Taipei

Taipei

for Hong Kong

Hong Kong

on April 26, starting the 8-day "journey of peace" which the mainland Chinese media referred to as a "visit." The Chinese media changed the airport name from CKS airport to "Taoyuan airport" to avoid mentioning the name of former leader of KMT and the late President of the Republic of China

President of the Republic of China

The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...

, Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

.

On that morning, about a thousand people gathered at the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport

Chiang Kai-shek International Airport

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport , the largest airport in Taiwan, is an international airport located in Dayuan Township, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. It is one of four Taiwanese airports with regular international flights, and is by far the busiest international air entry point amongst them...

, and violent conflict broke out among the supporters and opponents of the tour, resulting in many injuries.

Some Pan-Green supporters illegally brought guan dao
Guan dao
A Guan Dao, Kwan Dao, or Kuan Tao is a type of Chinese pole weapon that is currently used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese it is properly called a 偃月刀 yan yue dao , the name under which it always appears in texts from the Song to Qing dynasties such as the Wujing Zongyao and...

s, beer bottles, stones, eggs, firecracker

Firecracker

A firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound...

s, clubs, and sharpened sugarcane

Sugarcane

Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

s into the terminals and started beating Pan-Blue supporters and the police, throwing stones and setting off firecrackers in the meantime. Many members of the Democratic Progressive Party

Democratic Progressive Party

(DPP), the Taiwan Solidarity Union

Taiwan Solidarity Union

The Taiwan Solidarity Union is a political party in the Republic of China which advocates Taiwan independence. It was officially founded on July 24, 2001 and is considered part of the Pan-Green Coalition. Unlike the Democratic Progressive Party, its larger companion party in the Pan-Green...

(TSU), and the Taiwan Independence Party

Taiwan Independence Party

The Taiwan Independence Party 建國黨 , otherwise known as the Taiwan Nation Party, is a political party in the Republic of China .It is usually associated with the Pan-Green Coalition and supports Taiwan independence....

were arrested, along with the host of a political talk show

Talk show

A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....

.

Pan-Blue supporters fought back, swearing "an eye for an eye". There were suspected Triad members clad in black in the mob, picking on Pan-Green's elderly supporters, causing many to be hospitalized. The New Party

New Party (Republic of China)

The New Party, formerly the Chinese New Party , is a centre-right conservative political party in the Republic of China , and part of the pan-blue coalition....

chairman Yok Mu-ming was arrested, along with other people in the Pan-Blue Coalition.

Outside the airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

, Taiwan independence advocate Su Ming led many pan-Green supporters to use taxi

Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...

s to form a blockade on the highway, preventing Lien from reaching the airport, but they were repelled by the police. Su Ming and his followers then tried to light firecrackers in the terminal, and were later arrested.

Lien avoided the trouble entirely having been taken into the airport via a VIP entrance.

Because the Aviation Police Office of Taiwan proved inept in handling the riot, minister Chen Juit'ien was dismissed that evening. The Minister of the Interior Su Chiach'uan offered to resign, and the deputy minister's plea to resign was granted.

On the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

, teenagers parodied the event with a mock Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...

battle.

Nanjing

The delegation transferred onto China Eastern Airlines

China Eastern Airlines

China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai, China. It is a major Chinese airline operating international, domestic and regional routes. Its main hubs are at Shanghai Pudong...

to Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

, where they were greeted by the PRC Liaison Office of Hong Kong.

Lien and the delegation arrived at Nanjing Lukou International Airport

Nanjing Lukou International Airport

Nanjing Lukou International Airport is the main airport of Nanjing, the capital of China's Jiangsu province. The airport is located in the suburban Jiangning District, over 35 km to the south from Nanjing's downtown area....

on April 26, at 16:40. Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council head Chen Yunlin

Chen Yunlin

Chen Yunlin is the current chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits , the body responsible for negotiations with Taiwan in the People's Republic of China.-Biography:...

was at the airport to welcome the delegation. Lien delivered a short speech upon arrival, saying "Taipei and Nanjing are not too distant, but it still took 60 years to come here. It certainly took too long to make the journey." That night he attended a banquet hosted by the leader of the Jiangsu

Jiangsu

' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...

provincial government and lodged at the Jinling Hotel

Jinling Hotel

Jinling Hotel Nanjing is a hotel in Nanjing, China, located near the city's Xinjiekou district. "Jinling" is an old name for Nanjing which is often used to refer to the city in a poetic context. The hotel was Nanjing's first modern hotel and is still often regarded as the pre-eminent five-star...

.

On April 27, the delegation visited the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

, where Lien burnt incense for the former President surrounded by the general public and press reporters. Lien quoted Sun Yat-Sen

Sun Yat-sen

's last words "peace, struggle, save China" to promote a healthy relationship across the strait. Lien was the first KMT chairman to visit the mausoleum for 56 years.

On the same day, Lien visited the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is the tomb of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. It lies at the southern foot of Purple Mountain , located east of the historical center of Nanjing, China...

, the former Republic of China Presidential Palace

Presidential Palace (Nanjing)

The Presidential Palace in Nanjing, China, housed the Office of the President of the Republic of China before the republic relocated to Taiwan in 1949. It is now a museum, the China Modern History Museum. It is located at 292 Changjiang Road, in the Xuanwu District of Nanjing.-History:In the Ming...

, Tianfei Gong, and the Fuzi Miao (Shrine of Confucius).

On the morning of April 28, Lien left Nanjing for Beijing.

Beijing

In the afternoon of April 28, Lien and the delegation arrived in the Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International Airport, is the main international airport serving Beijing, China. It is located northeast of Beijing's city center in an enclave of Chaoyang District that is surrounded by rural Shunyi District. The airport is owned and operated by the Beijing Capital...

, where he delivered another speech. Then he attended a conference with the Taiwan Affairs Office in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse

Diaoyutai State Guesthouse

The Diaoyutai State Guesthouse is a historic hotel and guesthouse complex in Beijing, China. It includes a number of buildings, houses and gardens. The name "Diaoyutai" means "angling platform", and is so named because the site was a favourite fishing spot of Emperor Zhangzong of Jin China. It is...

. Later, the delegation visited the Forbidden City

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...

. Lien met the CPPCC Chairman Jia Qinglin at the Great Hall of the People

Great Hall of the People

The Great Hall of the People is located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square, Beijing, People's Republic of China, and is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China. It functions as the People's Republic of China's...

, and then watched a traditional Beijing opera

Beijing opera

Peking opera or Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court...

performance.

On April 29, Lien gave a speech and answered questions from students and faculty in Peking University

Peking University

Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...

. He mentioned that both Hu Shih

Hu Shih

Hu Shih , born Hu Hung-hsing , was a Chinese philosopher, essayist and diplomat. His courtesy name was Shih-chih . Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese liberalism and language reform in his advocacy for the use of written vernacular Chinese...

and former Taiwan University president Fu Sinian

Fu Sinian

Fù Sīnián , was a famous Chinese educator and linguist, and one of the leaders of the May Fourth Movement in 1919. He studied experimental psychology at University College, London from 1920-23. He was also one of the creators of the Academia Sinica, and was named director of the Institute of...

had graduated from Peking University, then worked at Taiwan University and spread liberalism

Liberalism

Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...

there. "Therefore, in terms of liberalism, both Peking University and Taiwan University are born from the same root. Especially in mainland China, it can be said that it's a bastion of freedom." But a proportion of Taiwanese students disagreed, saying both Hu and Fu were fierce opponents of communism

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

in favour of freedom of education, thus the two universities can't be compared, and protested outside the front gate.

Lien then toured the university, and visited the dormitory where his mother once lived. At 15:00, Lien met Hu Jintao in the Great Hall of the People, marking a historical meeting between the CPC and KMT, the first since 1945. After 17:30, Lien held a press conference, and listed the five points of compromise settled upon by the two parties following the conference:

On the premise of acknowledging the 1992 Consensus
1992 Consensus
The 1992 Consensus or Consensus of 1992 is a term describing the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of the People's Republic of China in mainland China and the Republic of China in Taiwan...

, encourage the reopening of talks across the strait;
Encourage an end to hostilities, and establish peace;
Encourage cooperation in economic exchange and crime fighting, push for two-way direct flights across the strait, Three Links
Three Links
The Three Links or Three Linkages was a "message of Compatriots in Taiwan" calling for the unification of mainland China and Taiwan. It was sent by the PRC National People's Congress in 1979....

, and agricultural exchange;
Encourage talks regarding increasing Taiwan's international role; and
Establish a platform of communication between the two parties.

That evening, Lien changed his plan for the night and met with Hu Jintao again. Reportedly, Hu Jintao invited Lien for a politics-free chat as it was Lien's last night in Beijing.

Xi'an

On April 30 at 11:25, the delegation arrived at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

-Transportation:The airport is northwest of Xi'an city centre, and north of the city of Xianyang. Buses and taxis are available between the airport and Xi'an city centre.-Accidents and Incidents:...

, starting Lien's tour of his birthplace. Welcoming Lien were officials of the Shaanxi

Shaanxi

' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...

provincial government, Taiwanese businessmen in China, and children from Lien's elementary school.

At 3pm Lien returned to Houzaimen Elementary School (then called Beixinjie Elementary), which he had attended 60 years ago. There he gave a speech, and watched several presentations by the schoolchildren, among them the soon-famous "Grandpa You're Back" skit reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution

Cultural Revolution

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...

. Lien later donated to the school library, and the school gave him a 7 m (23 ft) long wall scroll in return.

After visiting the school, the delegation visited the Terracotta Army

Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China...

. In the evening, Shaanxi provincial secretary Li Jianguo

Li Jianguo

Li Jianguo is a politician of the People's Republic of China, and former Party chief of Shaanxi and Shandong Provinces...

hosted a Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

-style banquet for the delegation in the Tang Paradise

Tang Paradise

Tang Paradise is a large theme park near the city of Xi'an, in Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. The park is at or near the site of an earlier garden complex in the Tang Dynasty, but consists almost entirely of modern construction....

theme park. Li presented the delegation with prints from the Stele Forest

Stele Forest

The Stele Forest, or Xi'an Beilin Museum , is a museum for steles and stone sculptures which is located in Xi'an, China. Founded in 1944, it was the principal museum for Shaanxi province on the site of what was formerly an 11th century Confucius Temple...

and ancient copperware, Lien in return gave famous Taiwanese glasswork. Later, the delegation watched the musical "Dream Back to the Tang" in the Fengming Jiutian Theatre.

Lien and his family members visited his grandmother's grave in Xi'an on May 1, and burnt incense at the nearby Qingliang Temple.

Shanghai

At 5pm on May 1, Lien arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is the primary international airport serving Shanghai, China, and a major aviation hub in Asia. The other major airport in Shanghai, Hongqiao, mainly serves domestic flights...

.

The next day, Lien cancelled his trip atop the Oriental Pearl Tower

Oriental Pearl Tower

The Oriental Pearl Tower is a TV tower in Shanghai, China. The Oriental Pearl Tower is located at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong district, by the side of Huangpu River, opposite of The Bund....

and held a press conference at the Shanghai Shangri-la Hotel. He later visited Wang Daohan

Wang Daohan

Wang Daohan , was the former president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits .-Biography:...

at Jinjiang Hotel. At nine he toured Xintiandi

Xintiandi

Xintiandi is an affluent car-free shopping, eating and entertainment district of Shanghai, China. It is composed of an area of reconstituted traditional shikumen houses on narrow alleys, some adjoining houses which now serve as book stores, cafes and restaurants, and shopping malls. Most of the...

, and took a harbour cruise to view The Bund

The Bund

The Bund is a waterfront area in central Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District...

at night.

On May 3, 1pm, Lien and his delegation flew back to Taipei

Taipei

, via Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Reactions

The state media in mainland China covered the visit in great detail and much of the general public welcomed this delegation with enthusiasm.

The United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

declared public support for Lien's visit, calling it a "step in the right direction for peace in the Taiwan Strait

Taiwan Strait

." However, the US has stressed that it would like to see the Communist Party of China

Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...

(CPC) have talks with Taiwan's current ruling party, as well as the KMT. Western political analysts have compared the handshake of Lien and Hu Jintao to that of Yitzhak Rabin

Yitzhak Rabin

' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....

and Yasser Arafat

Yasser Arafat

Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...

.

In Taiwan, public opinion was split. While polls showed that more than half of the people didn't oppose this visit, the DPP

Democratic Progressive Party

argued that the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

was attempting to play a divide-and-conquer game with Taiwan and causing a "widening schism" among the Taiwanese. Former ROC President and TSU affiliate Lee Teng-hui

Lee Teng-hui

Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...

condemned the visits of Lien and Soong (see below), calling them sympathizers of mainland China who want to undermine Taiwan's sovereignty

Sovereignty

Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...

.

Republic of China

Republic of China

(ROC) President

President of the Republic of China

The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...

Chen Shui-bian

Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...

initially condemned Lien and said that his visit might be in violation of ROC law. However, several days later Chen Shui-bian reversed his opinions and showed a cautious goodwill gesture to Lien's visit. Chen has also altered his stance on Taiwan independence. During the 2004 Taiwan election he stressed his support for Taiwan independence, he now says that "both independence and re-unification are options" for Taiwan's future. Political fallout from Lien's trip is believed to have contributed to this change in rhetoric.

Aftermath

After Lien's visit, the PRC offered three "goodwill gifts" to the ROC: the normalization of tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

, which would allow direct flights across the Taiwan Strait; agricultural trade agreements that would increase sales of Taiwanese produce

Produce

Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...

to mainland China; and two panda

Panda

Panda or Panda bear most often refers to:*Giant panda, an animal in the Bear familyPanda may also refer to:*Red panda, the only living member in the Ailuridae family-In biology:* Species related to the Giant panda...

s for the Taipei Zoo

Taipei Zoo

The Taipei Zoo , sometimes referred to as the "Muzha Zoo" , is a public zoological garden in Taipei City in Taiwan. It is the most famous zoological garden in Taiwan and a leader in conservation, research and education, and recreation...

. After much deliberation, authorities in Taiwan declined the final gift, saying that Taipei Zoo was not suited to the task of nurturing pandas. This decision was overturned following the election of Ma Ying-jeou

Ma Ying-jeou

Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...

to the presidency in March 2008.

James Soong

James Soong

James Soong Chu-yu , is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller and more conservative party in the Kuomintang -led Pan-Blue Coalition....

, leader of the People First Party, followed Lien's visit on May 5 with a 9-day visit of his own. Like Lien, Soong also met with General Secretary Hu Jintao and expressed an interest in increasing cross-strait dialogue.

After Soong's visit, President Chen extended an invitation to Hu Jintao to visit Taiwan so that he "can see with his own eyes that Taiwan is a sovereign nation." However, the CPC continues to show a lack of interest in dealing with Chen and the DPP.

External links

BBC Article
EU hopes China-Taiwan talks will widen in scope News article on the European Union's support of Lien's visit
Lien's triumphal PRC visit may have wide implications Editorial concerning Lien's visit to China and its impact on Taiwan politics
Gift or hot potato? Taiwan news article on the pandas offered to the Taipei Zoo
'Bridge over troubled water' Taiwan news article on Soong's visit to the PRC
Farmers interested in exports to China Taiwan news article on the agricultural trade deal offered by mainland China
Kuomintang Official Website 中國國民黨
Chinese Pan-blue Website 中國泛藍聯盟

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Background

Chiang's visit

Chiang Kai-shek International Airport

Nanjing

Beijing

Xi'an

Shanghai

Reactions

Aftermath

See also

External links