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Explanation on President Lee's remarks in an interview with the Voice of Germany

July 9, 1999

During an interview with the Voice of Germany ( Duetsche Welle ) this afternoon ( July 9 ), President Lee described cross-strait ties as a "state-to-state" relationship or a "special state-to-state relationship"¨ We hereby stress the following points:

1. The Republic of China has been a sovereign state ever since its founding in 1912. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been under divided rule and separate jurisdiction. This is an objective historical fact. The Republic of China on Taiwan is by no means a "renegade province" as claimed by the PRC.

2. The ROC terminated the Period of National Mobilization for the Suppression of the Communist Rebellion in 1991. After several amendments to the Constitution, the effective jurisdiction of the ROC under the Constitution now covers only Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. This is a statement of the legal fact.

3. Our mainland policy has remained unchanged. The ROC will continue to promote cross-strait exchanges according to existing policies to develop cross-strait relations based on reciprocity and mutual benefits. There will be no changes to our current "no haste, be patient" and the "three direct links" policies for the moment.

4.Peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait are inseparable from the security of the Asia-Pacific region. We hope Beijing will not threaten Taiwan with military means and suppress or blockade our diplomatic space in the international arena because such moves will not promote sound interaction between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

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