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Taiwan independent, title changeable: president

ROC Central News Agency

2007-09-01 12:46:17

    Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian denied Friday a U.S. claim that Taiwan is "not a state" and reaffirmed his administration's determination to continue pushing for the country's inclusion in the United Nations under the name Taiwan.

    Addressing the issue during an interview on cable TV, Chen said Taiwan is an independent sovereign state, by whatever name it is known. "This is a fact. But the official name Republic of China is changeable," Chen said.

    The president was responding to remarks made a day earlier by Dennis Wilder, senior director for Asian affairs of the White House National Security Council, that Washington does not support Taiwan's membership of the United Nations -- which requires statehood -- because "Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is not at this point a state in the international community."

    Wilder said the position of the U.S. government is that the status of the ROC "is an undecided issue."

    According to Chen, Wilder's remarks indicate that the opposition Kuomintang's plan to push for the country's return to the United Nations under the name Republic of China is not going to win the support of the United States, either.

    Noting that the U.N. representation of China has since 1971 been replaced by the People's Republic of China, Chen said that if the country were to try to use the name ROC to rejoin the United Nations, it would be competing with Beijing for the right to represent China -- which would have no chance of success.

    By using the name Taiwan to apply to join the United Nations, the country is seeking membership under a new name and this has nothing to do with changing the country's official designation, according to Chen.

    He pointed out that as a country is not required to use its official name to join the United Nations, more than 70 U.N. member states have not joined the world body under their official names.

    Chen said he is well aware that the country's bid to apply to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan will not succeed at the first attempt. However, he said he believes the world will pay attention to the voices of Taiwan's people as long as they express their support for the bid in a referendum set to be held next year.

    Asked if he is concerned about offending the United States and China by insisting on pushing for the referendum with disregard to their opposition, Chen said Taiwan "might as well surrender to China" if the country exists only to "make them happy."

    Chen said what he is truly concerned about is that Taiwan might be taken over by China and made to become part of the People's Republic of China if the nation does not work hard to protect its sovereignty.

    Urging the U.S. government not to adopt a "double standard," Chen said it hurts the feeling of Taiwan that the United States, which supported Chiang Kai-shek's military dictatorship, is now refusing to back up the popularly elected government.

    In the process of Taiwan's transition from authoritarianism to democracy, the country is trying to realize the universal values of democracy, freedom, human rights, peace and justice, and it is "totally unreasonable" that Taiwan is subject to various restrictions in its effort to achieve its goal, Chen said.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/J