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 declared public support for Lien's visit, calling it a "step in the right direction for peace in the Taiwan Strait." However, the US has stressed that it would like to see the Communist Party 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 and Yasser Arafat.
In Taiwan, public opinion was split. While polls showed that more than half of the people didn't oppose this visit, the DPP argued that the People's Republic of China 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 condemned the visits of Lien and Soong (see below), calling them sympathizers of mainland China who want to undermine Taiwan's sovereignty.
Republic of China (ROC) President Chen Shui-bian 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.
Read more about this topic: 2005 Pan-Blue Visits To Mainland China
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