DATE=12/20/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHINA-MACAU (L-O)
NUMBER=2-257327
BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The return of Macau to Chinese sovereignty has
provided an opportunity for China's leaders to once
again praise the country. Correspondent Stephanie Ho
reports from Beijing Chinese authorities say the
reunification of the country is not complete, though,
until China recovers Taiwan.
TEXT: Chinese leaders are celebrating Beijing's
recovery of Macau as a festival of national unity.
Nearly the entire front page of the "Beijing Youth
Daily" is covered with a photo of the midnight
handover festivities at Tiananmen Square. The five
big characters superimposed over the picture read,
simply, Macau comes home.
Chinese president Jiang Zemin rushed home to attend a
special celebration in the Chinese capital, which was
televised live to the entire nation. In his speech,
Mr. Jiang - speaking through an interpreter -
announced the beginning of a new future for Macau
after more than 400-years under Portuguese rule.
// JIANG INTERPRETER ACT //
Today, Macau has victoriously returned to China,
as the new China is confidently marching toward
prosperity and strength.
// END ACT //
Mr. Jiang promised China would observe a one-country,
two-systems policy in Macau - which means the
territory can keep its current social and economic
systems, and most of its laws.
This system is in place in Hong Kong, which returned
to China from Britain in 1997. The Chinese president
says his government also plans to use it to reunify
Taiwan - an island Beijing considers part of Chinese
territory.
// JIANG INTERPRETER ACT //
To achieve a complete national reunification, in
accordance with the one-China principle, is the
shared aspiration of all the Chinese people,
including the Taiwan compatriots, and an
inevitable trend, which no force on earth can
ever resist. It is our hope that the Taiwan
authorities will not go against the tide of
history.
// END ACT //
In Taiwan, Vice-President Lien Chan criticized Mr.
Jiang's comments. Mr. Lien says the one-country, two-
systems formula is not valid for Taiwan because the
island is not a colony, like Hong Kong and Macau were.
Back in Beijing, 30-thousand hand-picked Chinese
citizens braved arctic winds and sub-zero temperatures
to come to Tiananmen Square. They counted down the
seconds to Macau's return, along with a huge clock set
up for the occasion.
// COUNTDOWN SOUND - FADE IN, EST, FADE OUT //
Several blocks from the Square, police held back a
handful of people not invited to attend the
celebrations. For many Chinese people, though, the
details of the Macau handover were not as important as
the fact that the government gave everyone the day
off. (SIGNED)
NEB/HO/RAE
20-Dec-1999 09:44 AM EDT (20-Dec-1999 1444 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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