PRESIDENT CHEN WARNS CHINA NOT TO MEDDLE IN TAIWAN'S POLITICS
ROC Central News Agency
2005-10-07 23:04:02
Taipei, Oct.7 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Beijing would gain nothing by meddling in Taiwan's domestic politics and elections and doing so would not improve relations across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
In the interview, Chen was asked to comment on speculation that Beijing may not heed his call for resuming cross-strait talks until after 2008 when his independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) may no longer be in power and another party may take the helm.
In response, Chen claimed that if Beijing pins its hope on Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), to return the pro-unification KMT to power by winning the 2008 presidential election, its dream would not come true.
When he first assumed the presidency in 2000, Chen said, Beijing expected his early ouster. In the run-up to the 2004 presidential election, Beijing hoped that the joint ticket of the KMT and the People First Party could trounce his re-election bid. Beijing's wish didn't materialize.
Since Taiwan began direct presidential elections in 1996, Chen said none of the Beijing-favored candidates have managed to succeed.
Given China's undemocratic, opaque one-party dictatorship, Beijing leaders can't understand Taiwan voters' mindset, Chen said.
It is the 23 million Taiwan people, not a handful of Beijing leaders, who would choose their national leaders, Chen said.
He further said that unless Beijing shows sincerity to genuinely improve cross-strait relations, it cannot narrow the divide with the Taiwan people nor will it win their hearts.
(By Sofia Wu)
enditem/mw
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