DATE=10/20/98
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-240443
TITLE=TAIWAN / CHINA (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=JAMES MITCHELL
DATELINE=TAIPEI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: A SENIOR TAIWANESE ENVOY RETURNED HOME MONDAY FROM A
GROUND-BREAKING VISIT TO CHINA, HAILING HIS TALKS THERE A
SUCCESS. BUT AS JAMES MITCHELL REPORTS FROM TAIPEI, DESPITE THE
UPBEAT RETURN HOME OF STRAITS EXCHANGE FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN KOO
CHEN-FU, THERE ARE MANY LINGERING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO
SIDES.
TEXT: THE MORNING AFTER HIS RETURN FROM BEIJING AND AN AUDIENCE
WITH JIANG ZEMIN -- THE HIGHEST LEVEL CROSS-STRAIT CONTACT SINCE
1949 -- CHIEF TAIWAN NEGOTIATOR KOO CHEN-FU MET WITH TAIWANESE
PRESIDENT LEE DENG-HUI. MR. LEE CONGRATULATED THE BILLIONAIRE
TYCOON ON THE SUCCESS OF THIS LATEST MISSION, WHICH HE SAID NOT
ONLY FURTHERED CROSS-STRAIT EXCHANGES, BUT ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO
THE SECURITY OF THE REGION.
AT THE END OF FIVE DAYS OF TALKS IN SHANGHAI AND BEIJING, MR.
KOO AND HIS DELEGATION HAD LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CONCRETE
RESULTS TO SHOW FOR THEIR EFFORTS, BEYOND A CONSENSUS THAT
TALKS SHOULD CONTINUE AND A PROMISE THAT BEIJING WOULD
RECIPROCATE WITH A VISIT TO TAIWAN IN THE FUTURE. BUT MANY
ANALYSTS HERE IN TAIWAN SAY THE SUCCESS OF THE MISSION WAS IN
THE FACT THAT THE TWO SIDES WERE ABLE TO SIT ACROSS FROM ONE
ANOTHER AND DISAGREE.
DISAGREE THEY DID -- WITH BEIJING INSISTING ON ITS "ONE CHINA"
POLICY, AND TAIWAN SAYING THERE CAN BE NO REUNIFICATION WITHOUT
DEMOCRACY.
REACTION IN TAIWAN WAS NOT UNIFORMLY POSITIVE, GUO ZHANG-LIANG,
AN ACADEMIC WHO ACCOMPANIED MR. KOO, WROTE TUESDAY IN A
NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL THAT BEIJING'S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT TAIWAN'S
POLITICAL STATUS SIGNALS A RETURN TO DIPLOMATIC BATTLING INSTEAD
OF DIALOGUE.
BUT OTHER OBSERVERS, BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT IN TAIPEI
ARGUE THAT AT THIS STAGE, DISAGREEING IN FACE-TO-FACE
DISCUSSIONS IS FAR BETTER THAN NOT TALKING AT ALL. (SIGNED)
NEB/JM/FC
20-Oct-98 4:16 AM EDT (0816 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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