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President calls for attention to China's threat against Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

2007-12-08 16:13:35

    Taipei, Dec. 8 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian urged the international community Saturday to pay attention to China's military threat against Taiwan, its attempts to diplomatically isolate the country, and its "united front" tactics.

    Stressing that Taiwan and China are two separate countries independent of each other, Chen called on the world to support Taiwan's bid to join international organizations so as to allow Taiwan to assume its responsibility as a member of the international community.

    Chen made the remarks while addressing a conference on human rights held in Taipei by the Liberal International, a world federation of liberal political parties.

    Chen noted that both the Liberal International and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats have contributed positively to the deepening of Taiwan's democracy by speaking up for Taiwan whenever the country suffers unreasonable suppression by China.

    Also, many members of the Liberal International have openly expressed their concerns over cross-Taiwan Strait security and China's military threat against Taiwan, Chen said.

    Noting that China has been intensifying its efforts to suppress Taiwan's international participation in recent years, Chen said Beijing is not only blocking Taiwan's participation in international organizations where statehood is required for membership but is also barring Taiwan's participation in non-governmental organizations. "Beijing is not only suppressing Taiwan, it is also suppressing Taiwan's friends," Chen said.

    In one of the most vivid examples, Chen said, China has attempted through manipulation to revoke the Liberal International's consultative status within the United Nations in retaliation against the group's support for Taiwan's bid to gain membership in the World Health Organization.

    In yet another example, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon denied Taiwan's right to take part in the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women earlier this year based on U.N. Resolution 2758, which Ban claimed recognizes "Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China," Chen noted.

    According to Chen, Taiwan, having experienced 38 years of martial law under the Kuomintang regime, deeply realizes the importance of human rights.

    Stressing that no country should be allowed to resort to violent or non-peaceful means to crack down on its own people or intimidate other countries in a civilized world, Chen asked the international community to pay more attention to China's dictatorship and notorious human right records.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/Li