DATE=5/17/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=TAIWAN BLOCKADE REPORTS L-ONLY
NUMBER=2-262450
BYLINE=MICHAEL KITCHEN
DATELINE=TAIPEI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Taiwan's government is denying a newspaper
report that Beijing is planning to blockade the
island's largest port in order to force talks on
reunification. Michael Kitchen has more from
Taipei.
TEXT: Taiwan's defense ministry is again asking
the public to ignore rumors in the media,
following a report that says China is drawing up
plans for a naval blockade of the island's
largest shipping port.
The Sydney Morning Herald, citing U-S
intelligence reports passed to the Australian
government, says China is planning to cut off
traffic to the southern Taiwan port of Kaohsiung
this September if dialogue across the Taiwan
Strait does not resume soon.
China considers Taiwan a renegade province and
says it will use whatever means necessary to
reunite the country.
Taiwan's defense ministry spokesman, Major-
General Kong Fan-ding, dismissed the Australian
news report, saying the military has not received
any information of such a plan.
U-S military officials have also discounted such
media reports. Tuesday, the commander of U-S
Pacific Fleet, Admiral Thomas Fargo, said there
was no indication of any unusual military
activity in the region.
But Major-General Kong did say (during a
television interview) that Taiwan's forces would
step up preparedness in case cross-strait
tensions do rise following President-elect Chen
Shui-bian's inauguration Saturday. He emphasized,
though, that there is no cause for alarm and
asked the public not to heed unconfirmed reports
regarding Chinese military activity.
/// REST OPT ///
Press reports of impending conflict or ominous
troop movements in China are quite common during
critical moments in relations between the two
sides.
Such reports are almost always denied by Taiwan's
defense ministry, which stresses that it will
keep the public here informed, as national
security permits. (signed)
NEB/HK/MK/JO
17-May-2000 03:21 AM EDT (17-May-2000 0721 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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