Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

BEIJING WILL NOT ATTACK TAIWAN BEFORE 2010: KMT OFFICIAL

Central News Agency

2005-06-30 22:38:52

    Taipei, June 30 (CNA) The likelihood of a military conflict between Taiwan and China before 2010 is slim, thanks partly to the visits to China by two opposition party leaders, an opposition Kuomintang (KMT) official claimed Thursday.

    Chang Jung-kung, director of KMT Culture and Communication Committee, disputed speculation that Beijing is likely to invade Taiwan in the forseeable future, claiming that Chinese President Hu Jintao will not address the "Taiwan problem" before 2010 because his regime will be obsessed with preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Shanghai Expo and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

    At the same time, Chang said, Beijing will keep an eye on the outcome of the 2008 presidential election in Taiwan, which he predicted will hold sway on Beijing's approach toward Taiwan.

    However, Chang claimed that President Chen Shui-bian's attempts to revamp the Constitution by 2008 and his administration's proposal to revise the Referendum Law might force Hu to change "his plan of waiting until 2010 to deal with Taiwan."

(By Maubo Chang)

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