DATE=12/10/1999 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT TITLE=YEARENDER- CHINA - TAIWAN NUMBER=5-44954 BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Taiwan's leaders infuriated China in 1999, putting cross-strait relations into the deep freeze. The increased tensions began with a call in July from President Lee Teng-hui for the Chinese government to treat the island as an equal state. V-O-A Beijing correspondent Stephanie Ho traveled to Taiwan several times this past year, and looks back on developments in the tense cross-strait relationship. TEXT: Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui has said he will not back down from his description of special state-to-state relations between the island and the Chinese mainland. // LEE CHINESE ACT - IN FULL, FADE OUT // The Taiwanese president says he believes his words reflect reality, and that it does not matter how others interpret them. The Chinese Nationalist government fled to Taiwan in 1949, after losing a civil war to the Communists. Beijing considers the island part of Chinese territory, and has vowed to use force to take it back if necessary. The Chinese government immediately reacted to Mr. Lee's statement with strong condemnation. Beijing postponed the visit of its top negotiator to Taiwan and said cross-strait talks could not continue until Taipei retracted its call for special state-to-state relations. But by the end of the year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue indicated that Beijing's earlier wrath had somewhat mellowed. When asked to comment on reports that Taiwan wants to step up its defense capability to counter a possible attack from China, Ms. Zhang -- speaking through an interpreter -- refrained from the Chinese government's usual lengthy diatribe. // ZHANG INTERPRETER ACT // I only want to point out here that we hope the Taiwan side can do more things conducive to the development of cross-straits relations, to the peace and stability in Asia. // END ACT // Taiwan's top official on China -- Su Chi, the head of the Mainland Affairs Council -- says President Lee's comments are aimed at giving the island more status in its negotiations with the mainland. // SU ACT // It's our effort to level the playing field. We want to engage in political negotiations with the mainland. But how can anyone expect us to talk lying down with Beijing? // END ACT // Mr. Su adds that there is more at stake than just the relationship between Taiwan and China. He says the bigger picture includes the United States, which China sees as Taiwan's biggest protector. A defense analyst in Taiwan, Andrew Yang, says the Taiwan government used to count on U-S support. But he says because Washington and Taipei do not always have the same interests, many Taiwanese people feel betrayed. // YANG ACT // We are a democratic society. People are peace-loving people. And the U-S is the arch fighter for democracy. It is really unthinkable for people to watch the United States moving close to Beijing, not close to Taipei. So, there is already a lot of misunderstanding between Taipei and Washington. // END ACT // Reunification and territorial integrity have been two main themes in Chinese government pronouncements. The head of China's Parliament, Li Peng, recently told a Japanese newspaper the country's reunification with Hong Kong, in 1997, and Macau, in December 1999, will definitely have a large influence on Taiwan. The island is the largest remaining piece of land claimed by Beijing as part of Chinese territory. (SIGNED) NEB/HO/FC/PLM 10-Dec-1999 06:18 AM EDT (10-Dec-1999 1118 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
