The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never stood in an election, so can it now learn to take part in a democratic process and, of course, emerge the victor? This is the real prize and was the challenge in Nanjing last week in the meeting between Jia Qinglin, chairman of China’s People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and a delegation of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) headed by its chairman Lien Chan, Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian’s main rival.
Both Lian Chan and Beijing organized the meeting for the interests of the Taiwanese voters. The message: We will work hand in hand for the welfare of China and Taiwan. We shall bring stability to the region and the island. Moreover, both Lian Chan and Jia Qinglin tried to show that the relationship is one of equals: Jia is not superior to Lian or vice versa.