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BEIJING SHOULD RECOGNIZE ROC SOVEREIGNTY: PRESIDENT CHEN

Central News Agency

2005-05-03 18:24:55

    Kiribati, May 3 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday that he will honor the 10-point consensus that he issued jointly with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong and urged Beijing to respect and recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of China on Taiwan to improve bilateral ties.

    Chen made the remarks in Kiribati on the second leg of a five-day tour to three ROC diplomatic partners in the South Pacific that will also take him to Tuvalu. Chen already visited the Marshall Islands Sunday through Monday.

    Claiming that he will never renege on the 10-point consensus that he made with Soong following their Feb. 24 meeting, he hailed Soong's upcoming visit to China as a marvelous opportunity to relay the opinions of the Taiwan people to Beijing's leaders.

    Despite the fact that Soong does not represent the head of state or the government, it is good that Soong can visit China, he said, adding that the PFP chairman has the responsibility of asking Beijing to respect and recognize the ROC's existence and sovereignty.

    Both Soong and himself have the obligation to promote and implement the consensus to protect the ROC's dignity and the cross-Taiwan Strait status quo, the president said.

    PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-ping confirmed a media report a day earlier that President Chen, prior to his Sunday departure to the South Pacific, phoned Soong late Saturday, asking the PFP head to transmit messages to Communist Party of China General Secretary Hu Jintao.

    According to Hsieh, Chen told Soong that he will stand firm on the 10-point consensus despite a changing political climate at home.

    Nevertheless, Hsieh made it clear that Soong will not represent the government or serve as an envoy of Chen and stressed that the PFP chairman will not do anything that goes beyond his capacity as an opposition party leader while in China.

    Soong is slated to leave for China May 5 for a weeklong visit, following in the footsteps of main opposition Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan, who will return to Taiwan Tuesday evening after wrapping up an eight-day self-styled "journey of peace."

(By S. J. Tsai and Flor Wang)

ENDITEM/mw