Canberra, March 28 (CNA) War in the Taiwan Straits cannot be ruled out despite the peace overtures to China by President-elect Chen Shui-bian, according to a leading Taiwanese academic now visiting in Australia.
The Australian on Tuesday quoted George W. Tsai of Taiwan's Institute of International Relations as saying during a seminar in Sydney on Monday that the prospect of war in the strait remains.
"Don't underestimate the possibility of an outbreak of war. The danger is there," he warned. He added that he believes nothing will happen prior to the May 20 inauguration of Chen as the newly elected president in Taiwan.
Chen has sent out conciliatory signals to Beijing, including a pledge not to declare independence, and offering to visit mainland China while at the same time inviting Chinese leaders to visit Taiwan.
Dr. C.L. Chiou, one of three Taiwanese academics participating in the seminar, disagreed with Tsai's assessment, saying that "there is no strong indication that war is imminent" because China does not have the amphibious capacity to launch an invasion and Beijing has always been careful in its military actions.
The three academics, who witnessed the March 18 presidential election in Taiwan, are currently in Sydney to give first-hand information on the prospects of future relations between Taiwan and China following the election of the Democratic Progressive Party candidate as president and the end of the Kuomintang Party's 50-year reign on Taiwan. (By Peter Chen)
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