DATE=5/16/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=CHINA / TAIWAN / U-S
NUMBER=5-46318
BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: As Taiwan prepares to inaugurate a new
president Saturday (20th), Beijing is telling the
island that, if it does not acknowledge being part of
China, it could face dire consequences. V-O-A
correspondent Roger Wilkison reports China's stepped-
up pressure on Taiwan comes as the United States is
indicating that it has no desire to mediate between
the two longtime rivals.
TEXT: Ever since former pro-Taiwan independence
leader Chen Shui-bian won election as the island's
president last March, Beijing has insisted that he
must accept its "one China" principle as a pre-
condition for talks across the strait. That, in
essence, means that Mr. Chen must acknowledge that
Taiwan is part of China.
Mr. Chen's Democratic Progressive Party has long
advocated that Taiwan's people should decide whether
the island should opt for reunification or
independence, an idea that is anathema in Beijing.
During the election campaign, Mr. Chen backed away
from that stand, but he is still mistrusted by China's
leaders.
This week, with Mr. Chen's inauguration approaching,
Beijing has again gone on the offensive. On Monday,
the Communist Party's main newspaper, The People's
Daily, warned the new Taiwanese leader there will be
no peace across the Strait unless he officially
recognizes that Taiwan is part of China. On Tuesday,
the official Xinhua news agency said there will be
what it called "disastrous results" if Taiwan fails to
accept the "one China" principle. And foreign
ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue - speaking through an
interpreter - reiterated that position, although more
diplomatically.
/// INTERPRETER ACTUALITY ONE ///
I think the leaders of Taiwan, if they really
care about the interests of the Taiwan
compatriots and about peace and stability in the
Asia-Pacific region, should naturally recognize
the "one China" principle.
/// END ACTUALITY ///
Mr. Chen says he is willing to discuss the "one China"
principle but will not accept it as a precondition for
talks.
With both sides boxed into seemingly irreconcilable
positions, Taiwan has asked the United States to help
facilitate the resumption of talks. And, according to
the Washington Post, so has China. But U-S diplomats
say they are wary of getting entangled in such a
delicate issue and say it is up to China and Taiwan
themselves to come up with creative ideas to overcome
the impasse. The State Department has denied the
Washington Post report as being "not exactly
accurate," and Chinese spokeswoman Zhang says China
does not need outside help in solving an internal
Chinese matter.
/// INTERPRETER ACTUALITY TWO ///
The question of Taiwan is an internal affair of
China. We do not need any foreign countries to
have a hand in this matter. ... [We] do have
some contacts with the U-S side. During these
contacts, we briefed the U-S side on the
position of the Chinese side on the question of
Taiwan.
/// END ACTUALITY ///
But China analyst Barry Sautman - a professor of
political science at Hong Kong's University of Science
and Technology - says he believes China has asked the
United States to put pressure on Mr. Chen.
/// SAUTMAN ACTUALITY ONE ///
The Chinese government has to try to do
something decisive because it simply cannot
proceed with negotiations across the strait
without acknowledgment on the part of Chen Shui-
bian that either Taiwan is part of China or, at
least, that he's Chinese. And I think that what
the Chinese government has in mind is to try to
get the Americans, who, after all, adhere to the
"one China" principle, as do most states, to try
to persuade Chen Shui-bian to do something that
would indicate that he favors that principle.
/// END ACTUALITY ///
But Mr. Sautman says he doubts that Mr. Chen will be
able to satisfy hard-liners in China who believe he is
procrastinating in accepting the "one China"
principle. In his view, China will have to decide
what kind of action it will take against Taiwan after
it gets into the World Trade Organization.
/// SAUTMAN ACTUALITY TWO ///
There's a great deal of pressure on the civilian
leadership from the military on the mainland and
- I have to tell you also - that there's a great
deal of popular sentiment on the mainland in
favor of confronting the so-called separatists
on Taiwan.
/// END ACTUALITY ///
So, on Saturday, the attention of policymakers in both
Beijing and Washington will be focused on what Mr.
Chen says - or does not say - in his inaugural speech.
Beijing has said it could attack Taiwan if it delays
reunification talks indefinitely. Taiwan, meanwhile,
has become used to having its own separate identity,
and public opinion polls reveal that most of the
island's people are in no hurry to be reunited with
the mainland. (Signed)
NEB/HK/RW/JO/KL
16-May-2000 07:18 AM EDT (16-May-2000 1118 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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