• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Taiwan has no 'provocative policy': president

ROC Central News Agency

2007-12-22 23:13:27

    Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Saturday Taiwan has no "provocative policy" and only a policy that "respects the public will and acts according to the law."

    Stressing that the planned referendum on whether the country should apply to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan is not a government policy and is instead a display of public will, Chen said the referendum plan is a response to a public petition.

    Chen made the remarks on the sidelines of a seminar on the urban development of the central city of Taichung in response to a press query about his view on U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's reference to Taiwan's planned U.N. bid referendum as a "provocative policy" the previous day.

    Noting that the referendum initiative was proposed by the grass-roots public and endorsed by about 2.73 million citizens, Chen said his administration is obliged to respect the public will and organize a referendum in accordance with the Referendum Act.

    Pointing his finger at China, Chen said it is not Taiwan, but China, that is provocative. Just recently, he said, China has unilaterally included eight Taiwanese ports, including Keelung, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Mailiao and Taichung, into its International Health Regulations (IHR)-certified ports. "Taiwan is neither a part nor a province of China. The inclusion of Taiwanese ports into China's IHR-certified port list is starkly provocative," Chen emphasized.

    He also cited China's other provocative acts, such as its enactment of the so-called Anti-Secession Law that provides a legal basis for Beijing to use force or non-peaceful means against Taiwan and its deployment of 988 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan.

    In his remarks, Chen expressed gratitude for Rice's reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to helping maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. Chen also affirmed U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' statement in a separate news conference in Washington, D.C. Friday that he is not worried that there will be a military reaction over Taiwan's referendum plan.

    Describing the planned referendum as an expression of Taiwan people's common will, Chen said the people of Taiwan want their voice heard in the international community through the referendum. "By holding the referendum we are hopeful that the world will listen to our appeal for U.N. representation and pay heed to the reality that Taiwan is an independent sovereignty state and by no means a part or province of China, " Chen said, adding that he is convinced that the U.N. bid referendum will be passed in a vote slated for March 22, 2008 when the electorate will also elect a new president.

    Rice reiterated the United States' opposition to Taiwan's referendum plan in a press conference held in Washington, D.C. Friday. Calling the referendum a "provocative policy, " Rice said the referendum unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait and promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage.

    Her statement follows similar remarks made over the past few months by several other lower-level U.S. officials, including including Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Tom Christensen, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt.

(By Sofia Wu)

ENDITEM