CEP0015 [07/15/99 20:42:54] DD5K8501.
CEP-->EVA
07-15-99
`TWO STATES IN ONE NATION' WILL BE KEYSTONE OF TAIWAN'S STANCE
Taipei, July 15 (CNA) The head of the Government Information
Office (GIO) said on Thursday that the government of the Republic of
China will use the formula "two states in one nation" as the basis
for explaining Taipei's relationship with mainland China.
The announcement by Chen Chien-jen, director-general of the GIO
under the Executive Yuan, was in response to speculation and various
interpretations of President Lee Teng-hui's latest redefinition of
Taiwan's relations with the mainland.
In an interview with German radio station Deutsche Welle late
last week, Lee described cross-strait ties as "a special
state-to-state relationship," sparking fury among the Beijing
authorities who saw it as a sharp departure from Taipei's
long-standing mainland policy.
The United States is also deeply concerned about the new
development in cross-strait relations, and has urged both sides to
continue the process of constructive dialogue.
Members of the ROC National Security Council held a meeting on
Wednesday to discuss ways of explaining Lee's statement to both the
people of Taiwan and the international community.
Su Chi, chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), also took
the opportunity to explain the government's stance, saying that the
Office of the President and the Executive Yuan have prepared a
keynote package to explain the government's cross-strait policy,
which, he stressed, remains unchanged.
Chen said the package gives a full and complete explanation of
Lee's statement, and includes a pamphlet in the form of a FAQ
(frequently asked questions) brochure.
Chen said that Taipei's mainland policy will also be hammered
home either through a press conference for both local and foreign
reporters, or through diplomats stationed in foreign countries, or
even by sending personnel abroad.
Meanwhile, Lee was quoted by the Presidential Office in a
statement on Wednesday as saying that "our mainland policy has not
changed; our position and attitude toward dialogue and exchanges with
mainland China remain the same."
The official explanation has already been given by President Lee
and Vice President Lien Chan when they met a delegation from Japan's
Sankei Shimbun newspaper on Thursday, while Chen accepted an
interview with the Wall Street Journal and the London Times.
Su, Foreign Minister Jason Hu, and Deputy Secretary-General to
the President Lin Bih-jaw will also meet reporters from the Boston
Globe on Friday.
(By Eva Chen)
ENDITEM/J
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