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National security top priority in Kinmen-Xiamen bridge plan: MND

ROC Central News Agency

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) National security should be top concerns in evaluating the feasibility of constructing a bridge connecting the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen and the nearby Chinese city of Xiamen, despite increasing exchanges between the two sides, Defense Minister Chen Chao-min said Tuesday.

Chen made the declaration to reporters in response to questions on the proposed project, about which President Ma Ying-jeou said during a visit to Kinmen Sunday he has adopted an open attitude.

Ma said that policy will be formed to decide whether or not to build the bridge, proposed by the Kinmen county government as part of efforts to promote local economic development, after all relevant evaluations have been carried out.

Addressing the Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) evaluation, Chen said that "it is not possible to achieve the goal at present" because Beijing has never displayed "goodwill, " a reference to China's refusal to dismantle thousands of missiles targeting Taiwan.

Without taking national security into consideration, "we would be caught off guard" if the communists take military action to invade Taiwan, Chen said.

He reiterated that the MND's top task is to safeguard national security.

Asked why the MND allows military officers and soldiers to believe that communist China remains their targeted enemy despite the thawing of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, Chen said that it is the government's policy to pursue peace in the strait.

However, since China remains reluctant to show goodwill toward Taiwan, now is not the time for the military to be off-guard in the face of Beijing's continued military threat, Chen noted.

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan described the Kinmen-Xiamen bridge construction proposal as "forward looking" Sunday when he inspected the planned site for the bridge with Ma.

Liu said he will include the proposal in future cross-strait talks. When construction might be likely to begin, however, will be dependent on the future development of cross-strait ties, he noted. (By Elizabeth Hsu) ENDITEM/J