On October 11, a day after the Double Tenth National Day celebrations, the preparatory committee for the NDC held its first meeting, chaired by Vice President and Premier Lien Chan. After three hours of passionate discussions by representatives of the three parties, the orientation and functions of the NDC were set, and it was decided that the conference would be held in the Taipei International Convention Center from December 23 to 28. The main topics are "Constitutional Structure and Party Politics," "Economic Development," and "Cross- Strait Relations." The preparatory committee has also been holding 25 public hearings in cities and counties all over Taiwan, but plans for one overseas died when the two opposition parties joined ranks against it. In this respect, the NDC is also different from the National Affairs Conference, which solicited the opinions of overseas Chinese.

"Inter-party negotiation" was the theme for the first meeting of the preparatory committee. Not only was the first topic changed from "Constitutional Structure" to "Constitutional Structure and Party Politics," but it was agreed that all future decisions by the committees on secondary topics and public-hearing planning would have to be agreed upon by experts to be appointed by the three parties. Hence, the National Development Conference has become centered on the political parties. Accustomed to watching the parties employ procedurally disruptive tactics such as filibusters in the National Assembly and legislature, many people are curious as to whether they can negotiate in good faith in the newly created NDC.

On November 16, the preparatory committee completed its third planning session, having prepared a list of 170 participants, including 117 whose nominations were approved by the preparatory committee itself. These included party representatives (13 from the KMT, 10 from the Democratic Progressive Party, and seven from the New Party), elected representatives of various levels of government (12 KMT, nine DPP, six NP and three independents), 17 civil servants of various levels, and 40 academic experts and outstanding members of the public. Meanwhile, President Lee Teng-hui appointed 20 participants, and the 33 members of the preparatory committee will also attend. Vice President and Premier Lien Chan will serve as chairman, and there will be three vice chairmen: the KMT's Vincent Siew, the DPP's Chang Chun-hung and the New Party's Lee Ching-hua.

Another important decision reached at the third meeting of the preparatory committee was that "main-topic symposiums" would be held by the three government units responsible for the topics: the Ministry of the Interior, the Council for Economic Planning and Development and the Mainland Affairs Council. They will select venues and dates between December 5 and 15 to hold symposiums to discuss the three topics and will invite NDC participants as well as bureaucrats from related departments. The proposal for these symposiums was forcefully supported by the opposition party vice chairmen of the committee, Lee Ching-hua and Chang Chun-hung, largely in the hope that the five-day conference will differ from the typical goings on at the legislature and National Assembly, where inter-party fighting has caused public expectations to sink and has created uncertainty about the future of the nation. These pre-conference conferences will give dissenters ample chance to present their views. If the fighting is taken care of first, then perhaps there will be a greater chance for consensus at the conference itself.

The inter-party negotiation displayed during the meetings of the preparatory committee greatly impressed people, but it's worth keeping in mind that among the 170 participants of the NDC are many scholars and media figures without party affiliation. The preparatory committee has held public hearings and installed public-opinion boxes all across Taiwan, and these too represent movement to achieving consensus among the entire population. Political parties are after all only one of many important channels for reflecting public opinion. It is hoped that the National Development Conference will be a first step on the path toward building true consensus. Will all go as hoped? The soon-to-begin "main-topic symposiums" may provide a good indication.