Hu, Taiwan Opposition Chief to Meet

Chinese President Hu Jintao has agreed to a historic meeting with the leader of Taiwan’s opposition Nationalist Party in a move that is likely to complicate already tense cross-strait relations.

The meeting between Hu and Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan, scheduled April 29 in the Chinese capital, will be the first between Nationalist and Communist leaders since the parties split in 1949 after a civil war.

By agreeing to the meeting, China hopes to accomplish two objectives, analysts said. The first is to appear more reasonable and cooperative in the eyes of the international community.

Beijing is looking for global support after passing a controversial anti-secession law last month. The law, criticized in Washington and other foreign capitals, authorized the use of force if Taiwan declared independence. China considers Taiwan part of its territory.

The second objective is to try to further divide Taiwan politically by driving a wedge between the opposition, which generally leans toward Beijing, and the harder-line ruling Democratic Progressive Party led by President Chen Shui-bian.

On the Taiwan side, meanwhile, Lien appears to be trying hard to shore up his party’s fortunes in advance of the May 14 National Assembly election. The Nationalists under his leadership have lost ground in recent years against candidates favoring a harder line toward China.

Beijing’s meeting with the Taipei opposition in hopes of improving cross-strait relations is likely to displease Chen. He has warned the Nationalists against making such visits without government authorization, adding that Lien could face treason charges if he signed any agreement.

“All the parties are playing a dirty game,” said George Tsai, a research fellow at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University.

Many of the details are still being finalized. The Nationalists say Lien’s meeting with Hu would be part of a weeklong, four-city trip on the mainland.

“Our aim at this time is to bring peace for both sides of the Taiwan Strait, stability for both sides, and to lay some positive groundwork for the whole future,” Lien said.

The Nationalist leader plans to visit Nanjing first to honor the founder of the Nationalist Party, Sun Yat-sen, who is interred in a mausoleum there. He also plans to make a speech at Beijing University and travel to Xian, his birthplace, and to Shanghai to meet some of the estimated 1 million Taiwanese businesspeople living in mainland China.

Lien’s meeting with Hu will probably focus on broad political issues, analysts said. Lien might offer suggestions on reducing tension and increasing contacts, they said, including a suggestion that Beijing reduce the number of missiles pointed at Taiwan.

Beijing is taking a risk by agreeing to the meeting, long sought by the Nationalists, analysts said.

“In the short term, this could backfire by cutting out Chen,” said Zhu Xianlong, a cross-strait expert with the Macau Polytechnic Institute.

Chen has softened his line against Beijing in recent months, lowering the rhetoric and avoiding opportunities to bait his mainland adversaries. If he feels threatened enough by this latest development, however, analysts said, he might revert to his old ways and push Taiwan in a more radical direction.

Beijing has also invited another Taiwanese opposition leader, People First Party Chairman James Soong, to visit.

Mainland analysts denied that Beijing was trying to drive a wedge between various Taiwanese camps.

“We’ve welcomed all sides,” said Zhu Weidong, a cross-strait expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the premier government-linked think tank. “But now, because we’ve had difficulty talking to the ruling party, if the opposition is willing to come to Beijing, why not?”

The move also holds risks for the Nationalists. If they are seen as cozying up too closely with Beijing, they could undermine their standing with the Taiwanese electorate.

Ultimately, a major question will be how the Taiwanese people see it.

Special correspondent Tsai Ting-I in Taiwan and Yin Lijin in The Times’ Beijing Bureau contributed to this report.