Chen Chu Breaks the Ice

Chen Chu Breaks the Ice
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
May 22, 2009

Chen Chu departed from Kaohsiung In the morning. By the afternoon, she had arrived directly in Beijing and was meeting with Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong. For the DPP, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu's visit to the Mainland was an ice-breaker. It meant that the Green Camp's unconditional opposition to Beijing has changed. It is time for the DPP's inconsistent Mainland policy to undergo a major revision.

Chen Chu's visit to the Mainland has aroused much concern. The public does not oppose her visit. But it has been taken aback by the DPP's peculiar double standard. After all, the Green Camp just took to the streets on May 17 to denounce Ma for "selling out Taiwan." Then on May 21, its highest ranking public official led a delegation to Beijing. Even party elders and Taiwan independence elements are gnashing their teeth. How is the DPP to explain itself to the general public? Chen Chu's mainland visit reveals that the May 17 protest march had a tough shell, but a brittle core. It also revealed that the DPP's tortured rhetoric can no longer conceal its internal contradictions.

In fact, the DPP has become increasingly aware of the need for exchanges with the CCP. But politically they cling to their anti-Beijing rhetoric. They remain determined to depict the KMT's efforts to improve cross-Strait relations as "betraying Taiwan." Even more incredibly, the DPP clearly knew of Chen Chu's plan to visit the Mainland. But to avoid embarrassment during the protest march they suppressed this information. They assumed their head the sand tactics would allow them to squeak by. In fact, their strategy of self-deception merely made fools of Deep Green True Believers, casting them into a bottomless abyss of lost faith.

Chen Chu's trip was full of twists and turns. She has a powerful desire to play the role of an ice-breaker. But she also knows she faces enormous resistance, particularly from the Green Camp. Therefore she sneaked around and repeatedly changed her story. On May 17 Chen Chu joined the pro-independence march in Kaohsiung mid-stream. Then, under the pretext she was heading north to join the march in Taipei, she ran off. She never appeared at the main venue in Kaohsiung. Her exceptionally low-keyed behavior was an effort to avoid spoiling her chance to visit the Mainland. It was also an effort to avoid intensifying outside criticism of the DPP for saying one thing and doing another.

Nor should we overlook the high degree of goodwill shown toward Chen Chu. This was also a breakthrough for Beijing authorities vis a vis the DPP. They even granted her the courtesy of clearing customs without a "Taiwan Compatriot Entry Permit." They allowed her to enter as the "Mayor of Kaohsiung." They even put up billboards on streets in downtown Beijing urging the public to "See the World Games in Kaohsiung." These were compromises the two sides reached for the sake of this ice-breaking visit. Therefore, even though the International Real Estate Federation Awards Ceremony was postponed, Chen Chu still valued this hard-won opportunity and chose to attend as planned. Clearly bilateral relations is not just a "kill or be killed" zero-sum game.

The Kaohsiung World Games forced the Democratic Progressive Party to deal with Beijing. Perhaps this was accidental. But for the Democratic Progressive Party it is also an opportunity to make a breakthrough. Promoting the games necessitates more extensive and direct cross-Strait contacts and exchanges. But so does promoting the economy, trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges. Chen Chu's visit furthers the overall interests of Kaohsiung citizens. But so does the Ma administration's promotion of cross-Strait personnel, capital, and educational exchanges. Why must the DPP smear Ma's policy as "betraying Taiwan?" Since Chen Chu visited the Mainland with such awe-inspiring righteousness, what are we to make of the Green Camp's habit of equating "visiting the Mainland" with "sympathizing with Beijing," and "sympathizing with Beijing" with "betraying Taiwan?" Isn't this kind of thinking ready for the shredder?

Actually, the Mayor of Kaohsiung's visit to the Mainland is nine years too late. In July 2000, then Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh wanted to visit Xiamen as part of a Sister Cities exchange. He was prevented from doing so by newly inaugurated President Chen Shui-bian and Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen. The trip was aborted. The result was Chen Chu's ice-breaking visit nine years later. Nine years later, Taiwan independence player Chen Shui-bian is in prison for corruption. Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen has changed her position in support of Chen Chu's visit to the Mainland. From the DPP's perspective, it wasted nine years. As it waffled indecisively, it lost both political power and public support. Isn't it time the DPP amended its outdated Mainland policy?

For Taiwan, Chen Chu's visit carries greater significance than merely promoting the Kaohsiung World Games. It means the public interest is more important than personal ideology. With the participation of the Democratic Progressive Party, cross-Strait interaction will become more diverse. This is a plus. The DPP has stepped forward and met directly with Beijing. It is no longer hiding behind the KMT, sniping from the sidelines. This is something it must do to act responsibly. The only problem is, how will the Democratic Progressive Party convince grass-roots supporters to support Chen Chu's visit to the Mainland?

Chen Chu departed from Kaohsiung, made a detour to Ketagelan Boulevard, then arrived in Beijing. Chen Chu's ice-breaking trip was roundabout and rife with posturing. But the outside world should not rush to condemn the show Chen Chu put on. The bilateral strategic picture is clear. It will not unfold according to Chen Chu's personal whims.

陳菊破冰：從高雄繞凱道到北京
【聯合報╱社論】
2009.05.22 05:45 am

上午搭著直航飛機出發，下午在中國首都會見北京市長郭金龍，高雄市長陳菊這次登陸，堪稱是民進黨的「破冰之旅」。此行不啻意味綠營「逢中必反」的基調已然改寫，民進黨表裡不一的中國政策也到了需要大整修的時候了。

陳菊登陸之所以引起那麼大的關注，輿論焦點其實不在反對她登陸，而是對民進黨「反中」奇特的雙重標準感到錯愕。試想，綠營五一七才在街頭嗆馬賣台，五二一其最高公職人員隨即率團登陸，連黨內山頭及台獨社團對此都咬牙切齒，民進黨又要如何說服一般民眾？陳菊的大陸行，反襯了五一七的「外強中乾」，也凸顯民進黨左支右絀的論述再也掩不住其自我矛盾。

亦即，在現實上，民進黨內部亦愈來愈自覺有與中共交往之必要；但在政治操作上，卻又沿用其一成不變的反中論述，咬死國民黨改善兩岸關係的努力為「賣台」。更不可思議的是，民進黨明知陳菊的登陸計畫，卻為避開遊行的尷尬氣氛而刻意壓著消息，以為只要使出鴕鳥戰術，即可瞞天過海。這種自欺欺人策略，其實只是愚弄了深綠支持者，讓他們陷入信仰虛無的深淵。

陳菊此行充滿曲折，她有強烈意願扮演破冰角色，卻也知道自己面對著的鉅大阻力，尤以綠營為甚。因此，她隱隱掩掩，數易其口。五一七當天，陳菊在高雄的獨派遊行先是半途插隊，然後藉口北上會師半路落跑，根本未登上高雄主場。如此極盡低調，一則是為避免自己登陸的機會觸礁，二則也為避免加深外界對民進黨「說一套、做一套」的印象。

同樣不應忽略的，是中共當局為突破對民進黨的工作，對陳菊釋出的高度善意。包括給予她「免持台胞證」的通關禮遇、使用「高雄市長」身分，乃至在北京鬧街掛上「世運在高雄」的看板，都是雙方為這一破冰之旅達成的妥協。因此，儘管世界不動產聯盟的頒獎典禮已經延期，陳菊仍珍惜好不容易談妥的條件，選擇如期出訪。也可見，兩岸之間，並非只是「你死我活」的零和遊戲。

高雄世運把民進黨逼上與中國接觸之路，也許是偶然，卻也是民進黨尋求突破的一個契機。如果說運動會的促銷，需要兩岸更廣泛而直接的接觸和交流，那麼經貿、觀光、文化的交流又何嘗不是如此？如果陳菊的出訪是為了高雄市民的整體利益，那麼馬政府促成兩岸人員、資金、教育交流的一連串政策，民進黨又為何需強行貼上「賣台」的標籤？如果陳菊登陸如此正氣凜然，那麼，綠營長期以來編撰的「賣台公式」：「登陸」等於「親中」，「親中」等於「賣台」，還能不就地作廢嗎？

高雄市長登陸，其實是一個遲到九年的行程。公元兩千年七月，高雄市長謝長廷有意到廈門進行城市交流，遭剛上任的陳水扁總統和陸委會主委蔡英文阻擋，而未能成行；也因此，九年後才有陳菊的破冰之旅。九年之隔，「台獨玩家」陳水扁貪瀆繫獄，接任黨主席的蔡英文改變立場支持陳菊登陸；對民進黨而言，九年蹉跎，在搖擺中失去政權和民心，也該想一想其破舊的中國政策該怎麼修了吧！

對台灣而言，陳菊此行其實具有比促銷「高雄世運」更大的意義，那就是：從台灣的公共利益出發，比供奉個人信仰更重要。兩岸互動，有了民進黨的參與，可以發出更多元的聲音，這是正數。對民進黨而言，直接站出來面對中共，不要一味躲在國民黨身後亂放冷箭，那也是它終須承擔的責任。問題是，在輿論一片支持陳菊登陸之際，民進黨拿什麼去說服它的基層徒眾呢？

從高雄繞經凱道到北京，陳菊這趟破冰之旅走得崎嶇，也做足了姿態。外界也許不必急著對陳菊的表現下斷語，兩岸大勢的必趨必至，其實並不隨陳菊個人的意志為轉移。