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China won't stop suppressing Taiwan no matter who's president: Chen

ROC Central News Agency

2008-01-17 17:07:08

    Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Thursday on a weekly online newsletter published by the Presidential Office that China will not stop suppressing Taiwan no matter who wins the presidency in the March 22 election. "China will continue sparing no efforts to block Taiwan's global presence until it has succeeded in making Taiwan a province of China," Chen wrote in the newsletter.

    Against such a backdrop, Malawi's announcement Jan. 14 that it has switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China has nothing to do with his overseas visit to promote foreign ties, Chen said.

    The president was visiting Guatemala, where he attended the inauguration of President Alvaro Colom, when Malawi made the announcement. Chen is scheduled to return to Taipei Friday after wrapping up his two-leg diplomatic tour that also took him to Saint Lucia.

    China would have been even happier if he had not engaged in diplomatic visits abroad, Chen said, pointing out that Malawi and China had agreed to establish formal diplomatic links last Dec. 28, when signing a memorandum of understanding. "I am not surprised with the development owing to Beijing's checkbook diplomacy, but I regret that Malawi has discarded a long-term and faithful ally," Chen said.

    Malawi had maintained 42 years of formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

    Commenting on the major setback of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in last Saturday's legislative elections, Chen said the party has to humbly accept the election results and conduct an in-depth self-reflection.

    The DPP grabbed 27 seats in the 113-member Legislative Yuan following the Jan. 12 election, in which the "single-member constituency, two-vote system" was implemented for the first time.

    Many DPP members have ascribed the DPP's humiliating defeat to the new voting system, in which there is only one seat up for grabs in each of Taiwan's 73 newly reshuffle constituencies.

    Chen, who doubled as DPP chairman, resigned from the party's top post late Saturday to take full responsibility for the DPP's poor showing in the legislative elections.

    However, he still urged the public to back a DPP-initiated referendum, to be held along with the March 22 presidential election, on whether the country should seek U.N. membership under the name of Taiwan.

    He said the move will project the people's voice to all the world and help Taiwan become a better country.

(By Flor Wang)

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