DATE= 10/7/97
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-220942
TITLE=CHINA/TAIWAN (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO
DATELINE=XIAMEN, FUJIAN
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: "WHAT TO DO WITH TAIWAN?" IS ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING
ISSUES THAT IS TAKING HIGHER PRIORITY IN CHINA, FOLLOWING THE
RETURN IN JULY OF HONG KONG TO CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY. V-O-A'S
STEPHANIE HO REPORTS THAT CHINA VIEWS THE ISLAND'S ATTEMPTS TO
GAIN MORE POLITICAL RECOGNITION AS PART OF AN AIM TO ESTABLISH
INDEPENDENCE.
TEXT: CHINA RESPONDED WITH EXPECTED DISPLEASURE AT TAIWANESE
VICE PRESIDENT LIEN CHAN'S ONGOING TRIP TO EUROPE.
AT A REGULAR BRIEFING TUESDAY, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN
SHEN GUOFANG SAID THE TAIWAN ISSUE IS RELATED TO CHINA'S
TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY.
THE CHINESE SPOKESMAN SAID BEIJING VIEWS MR. LIEN'S VISIT TO ANY
COUNTRY THAT HAS DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH CHINA AS A SERIOUS
MATTER -- SAYING SUCH A VISIT WILL BRING SERIOUS, THOUGH
UNSPECIFIED, CONSEQUENCES.
NONE OF THE COUNTRIES MR. LIEN IS REPORTED TO BE VISITING HAVE
RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN -- WHERE THE NATIONALISTS FLED AFTER LOSING
THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR IN 1949 TO THE COMMUNISTS.
CHINA CLAIMS TAIWAN AS A RENEGADE PROVINCE AND ACCUSES TAIWANESE
LEADERS OF USING TRIPS OVERSEAS TO TRY TO PROMOTE THE ISLAND AS
AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY.
IN A SPEECH TO THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED 15TH PARTY COMMUNIST
CONGRESS, CHINESE PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN REAFFIRMED BEIJING'S
COMMITMENT TO A PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION, BUT POINTEDLY REFUSED TO
RULE OUT THE USE OF FORCE, IF NECESSARY.
THE CHINESE PRESIDENT ALSO SAID HE HOPES TALKS BETWEEN BOTH SIDES
CAN BE RESTARTED SOON.
// JIANG AND TRANSLATOR ACT //
ON THE PREMISE THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE CHINA, WE ARE
PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT ANY MATTER. ALL OPINIONS AND
PROPOSALS CAN BE PUT FORWARD AS LONG AS THEY ARE IN THE
INTEREST OF REUNIFICATION. THE QUESTION OF THE
REUNIFICATION OF THE MOTHERLAND SHOULD BE SOLVED BY US
CHINESE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TAIWAN STRAITS.
// END ACT //
IN TAIWAN, LEADERS HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR MORE POLITICAL
RECOGNITION TO MATCH THE ISLAND'S GLOBAL ECONOMIC PRESENCE.
THIS HAS LED TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE OPPOSITION DEMOCRATIC
PROGRESSIVE PARTY -- WHICH ADVOCATES TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE
OUTRIGHT.
AT THE SAME TIME, ONE AMERICAN EXPERT SAYS PEOPLE ON TAIWAN MAY
BE DEVELOPING THEIR OWN SENSE OF IDENTITY, SEPARATE FROM CHINA.
DAVID LAMPTON, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF U-S-CHINA
RELATIONS, ALSO BELIEVES THAT TAIWAN MAY BE ONE OF THE MAIN
ISSUES STILL TO BE RESOLVED BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES.
// LAMPTON ACT //
THAT'S A PRETTY COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE -- WHEN YOU GET THE
IDENTITY OF A PEOPLE CHANGING. YOU HAVE A NEW
CONVERGENCE OF POLITICAL FORCES AROUND A PARTY THAT
STILL HAS IN ITS PLATFORM INDEPENDENCE. AND U-S POLICY
AND CHINESE POLICY IS BUILT ON A PREMISE THAT SEEMS TO
BE FALLING APART -- NAMELY THAT THE PEOPLE IN TAIWAN AND
CHINA CONSIDER THEMSELVES CHINESE.
// END ACT //
MR. LAMPTON POINTS TO A RECENT TAIWANESE POLL WHERE THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY CONSIDER THEMSELVES TAIWANESE WENT UP. THIS
FIGURE WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN THOSE ON THE ISLAND WHO SEE
THEMSELVES AS CHINESE. (SIGNED)
NEB/HO/PCF/RRM
07-Oct-97 12:33 PM EDT (1633 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
