PYONGYANG DESERVES INT'L CONDEMNATION FOR MISSILE LAUNCHES: CHEN
ROC Central News Agency
2006-07-07 15:32:19
Taipei, July 7 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Friday North Korea's recent launches of seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, have not only provoked Japan and the United States but have also threatened regional peace and global stability.
Just like China, which triggered a Taiwan Strait crisis in 1996 by test-firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait, North Korea is deserving of the strongest possible condemnation by the international community, Chen said in his speech to a joint commencement of seven military academies held at Fu Hsing Kang College in the Taipei suburb of Peitou.
Speaking on the 69th anniversary of the 1937 Marco Polo Incident -- which marked the beginning of the Chinese people's eight-year War of Resistance Against Japan -- Chen said the people in Taiwan should not forget the lessons of history.
Noting that only solid national defense can secure peace, Chen said that although the people of Taiwan hope peace will prevail across the Taiwan Strait, peace cannot be built on wishful thinking and self-deception.
Chen said history shows that a nation can only remain free of war by developing the capacity to defend itself. Dodging challenges or provocation is no way to prevent wars as doing so only invites further aggression, he asserted.
Chen said that if Taiwan intends to stand tall in the world, the country must deliver on its promise to raise its self-defense capability. Only by doing so will Taiwan's allies treat it as a "trustworthy partner" and help secure peace in the Taiwan Strait and regional stability via a collective security mechanism, he added.
Speaking in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Republic of China armed forces, Chen exhorted the military cadets to do the best they can, saying that anyone in uniform can distinguish themselves as long as they try hard enough.
(By Deborah Kuo)
ENDITEM/Li
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