DATE=7/19/99 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-251902 TITLE=CHINA / U-S / TAIWAN (L) BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: CHINA'S OFFICIAL NEWS AGENCY SAYS CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN HAS TOLD PRESIDENT CLINTON BEIJING WILL NOT RULE OUT THE USE OF FORCE AGAINST TAIWAN -- IF THE ISLAND TRIES TO CARVE OUT A SEPARATE IDENTITY. V-O-A CORRESPONDENT ROGER WILKISON REPORTS THE TWO PRESIDENTS SPOKE ON THE TELEPHONE SUNDAY ABOUT THE LATEST CRISIS IN CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS. TEXT: CHINA'S XINHUA NEWS AGENCY -- IN A REPORT THAT GOT PROMINENT PLAY MONDAY IN THE STATE-OWNED NEWS MEDIA -- QUOTES MR. JIANG AS TELLING MR. CLINTON THAT BEIJING -- IN HIS WORDS -- IS NOT COMMITTED TO ABANDONING THE USE OF FORCE ON THE TAIWAN ISSUE. IT WAS MR. JIANG'S FIRST PUBLIC REMARK ON TAIWAN'S DECISION TO SCRAP THE CONCEPT THAT THE ISLAND AND THE MAINLAND ARE TWO POLITICAL ENTITIES UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF ONE CHINA. TAIWANESE PRESIDENT LEE TENG-HUI SPARKED CHINA'S FURY NINE DAYS AGO WHEN HE SAID RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO SHOULD HENCEFORTH BE CONDUCTED ON A STATE-TO-STATE BASIS. CHINA VIEWS TAIWAN AS A WAYWARD PROVINCE THAT MUST BE BROUGHT UNDER BEIJING'S SWAY, BY FORCE IF NECESSARY, AND ESPECIALLY IF THE ISLAND DECLARES FORMAL INDEPENDENCE. XINHUA SAYS MR. CLINTON REAFFIRMED WASHINGTON'S POLICY THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE CHINA. THAT WAS CONFIRMED BY WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN DAVID LEAVY, WHO SAID MR. CLINTON ALSO TOLD PRESIDENT JIANG THAT HE HOPES CROSS-STRAIT ISSUES CAN BE RESOLVED PEACEFULLY AND THAT BOTH SIDES CAN MAINTAIN A DIALOGUE. BUT MR. LEAVY WOULD NOT COMMENT ON MR. JIANG'S REPORTED REMARK THAT CHINA WILL NOT RULE OUT THE USE OF FORCE. LAST WEEK, AS THE CHINESE MILITARY WAS VOWING TO TAKE TAIWAN BY FORCE, WASHINGTON WARNED BEIJING THAT ANY EFFORT TO DETERMINE THE ISLAND'S FUTURE BY OTHER THAN PEACEFUL MEANS WOULD BE OF GRAVE CONCERN TO THE UNITED STATES. XINHUA SAYS MR. JIANG TOLD MR. CLINTON CHINA IS COMMITTED TO PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION WITH TAIWAN BUT WILL NOT TOLERATE FOREIGN INTERVENTION IN THE ISSUE. (SIGNED) NEB/RW/JO/PLM 19-Jul-99 3:43 AM EDT (0743 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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