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PRESIDENT REITERATES IMPORTANCE OF HAVING SELF-DEFENSE POWER

ROC Central News Agency

2005-11-10 18:50:50

    Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian reiterated on Thursday that it's very important for Taiwan to "maintain the power of self-defense and to safeguard the peace across the Taiwan Strait."

    Chen made the remarks while dining with military officers and new draftees at the Chungkeng military camp in Chaiyi, southern Taiwan. He was on an inspection tour with Minister of National Defense Lee Jye, Chief of the General Staff Lee Tian-yu, and Yu Lien-fa, chief-in-command of the ministry's reserve command. "Since China won't renounce the use of military force against Taiwan, all Taiwanese people will be hurt eventually, " Chen said.

    He noted that pushing for modernization of the military and seeking to reinforce Taiwan's national defense capabilities have been the key tasks of his administration since he assumed office as ROC president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces five years ago.

    He feels "it is important to be vigilant in peacetime" as the Communist Chinese regime continues its military threats against Taiwan, while the island tries to secure its future by building a "united front" in politics.

    Mentioning China's recent pressure on South Korea to block the leader of state of the ROC from attending the upcoming Busan informal leadership meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Chen said that not only himself, but also his first proxy to the meeting, Legislature speaker Wang Jin-pyng, who is an influential member of the opposition Kuomintang, were not able to participate in the international meeting because of Beijing's opposition.

    The event proved China has been playing a "two-faced" game by luring opposition party members to visit China while shutting Taiwan out of the international community.

    China suppresses the efforts of Taiwan's opposition parties to fight for Taiwan's diplomatic space in the international community without hesitation, he added.

    Chen urged opposition parties to discuss with the ruling party

how to upgrade Taiwan's national defense via rational political

competition.

(By Elizabeth Hsu)

ENDITEM/mw