Sep 30, 2007, 10:43 GMT
Taipei - Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Sunday backed down on a proposal to change the island's official title from the Republic of China to Taiwan, in a move seen to avert provoking Beijing.
In its 12th National Congress, the independence-leaning party called a vote to decide whether to adopt a highly sensitive resolution proposed by its ex-chairman Yu Shyi-kun to change the island's name.
The voting result showed only 43 of the 328 party delegates present supported Yu's version of the so-called Normal Country Resolution, far short of the 51 per cent of those present needed to pass the controversial resolution.
'With the version failing to get more than half of the delegates' votes, it would not be adopted,' announced Premier Chang Chun-hsiung, acting DPP chairman, after the vote.
Instead, the majority of the delegates supported a watered-down version of the resolution proposed by President Chen Shui-bian to assert the island's identity, but drop the change of the island's name to Taiwan.
Yeh Chu-nan, secretary general of the Presidential Office and a DPP delegate, called on all members to back down on Yu's version 'for the sake of unity,' minutes before the delegates went to vote.
'We all love Taiwan - but for the sake of party unity and extension of the DPP rule in Taiwan, we must support the [watered- down] version already approved by the Central Executive Committee,' she said, referring to Yu's insistence on tabling his version of the resolution for review and approval during the DPP's annual congress.
The DPP has been divided over whether to adopt a more radical pro-independence stand, with the party's presidential candidate Frank Hsieh opting for a relatively more moderate position for fear of upsetting Beijing and scaring away voters ahead of next March's presidential elections.
Under mediation of independence-leaning Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian, the DPP approved in the committee meeting last week the diluted version of the resolution proposed by Chen to avoid provoking China, which has threatened to attack the island if it makes any moves towards declaring independence.
Wary of possible military actions from Beijing, Washington - an informal ally of the island - has warned Chen against making any moves toward declaring independence.
Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still regards Taiwan as a Chinese province that must be brought back to its fold, if necessary by force.
Chen, however, proposed replacing the change of the island's name with the phrasing that the island should seek to join the United Nations and other global bodies in the name of Taiwan.
But Yu, who stepped down as DPP chairman on Thursday, insisted that party delegates review his version of the resolution during the DPP congress to decide whether to pass it.
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MichaelSep 30th, 2007 - 17:54:21
Luckily, logic and sense has prevailed this time. I pray that the DPP continue this and scuttle any attempts at independence.
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