SCMP: Taipei shrugs off Jiang pressure on Clinton

[bich dao <daotb@yahoo.com>]

                     Saturday, August 21, 1999
                                
                Taipei shrugs off
               Jiang pressure on
                        Clinton

             JASON BLATT in Taipei and AGENCIES 

             Taipei yesterday reacted cooly to reports
             of a letter sent to US President Bill
             Clinton by President Jiang Zemin
             demanding that Washington halt arms sales
             to Taiwan. 

             A spokesman for the Taiwan Foreign
             Ministry said Taipei would not be
             surprised by any such move, but added that
             Taiwan had received assurances from
             Washington that arms sales would not be
             affected. 

             Reports from Washington yesterday said
             Mr Jiang's letter to his US counterpart
             requested that Mr Clinton halt American
             arms sales to Taiwan and pressure Taipei
             to engage in a political cross-strait
             dialogue under Beijing's "one China"
             principle, as well as to abandon Taiwan
             President Lee Teng-hui's stance that
             cross-strait ties were tantamount to
             "special state-to-state relations". 

             Beijing's Ambassador to Washington, Li
             Zhaoxing, on Thursday issued his own
             angry denunciation of Mr Lee for being a
             "troublemaker" and the "chief source of
             instability" in the Asia-Pacific region. 

             Mr Li echoed Beijing's warning to
             Washington on Thursday that it was fully
             prepared to launch an attack on the island
             if necessary, regardless of the cost. 

             Taiwan fired back at the accusation
             yesterday, blaming Beijing for recent
             tension. 

             "The fact is, the Chinese communists don't
             rule out using force to resolve the Taiwan
             issue. They are the ones creating regional
             tension," said Taiwan Foreign Ministry
             spokesman Henry Chen. 

             Beijing yesterday protested at Taiwan's
             proposal to seek cover from the United
             States' planned missile shield. 

             "Beijing opposes the inclusion of Taiwan,
             by any foreign country, in the project for a
             Theatre Missile Defence system," a
             Foreign Ministry spokesman said. 

             Beijing also opposed "the supply to
             Taiwan of the missile system, its
             equipment or its technology," the
             spokesman said. 

             The US and Japan agreed this week to
             start research on the multibillion-dollar
             missile umbrella. 

             The Taiwan Government on Thursday
             approved a report calling for the island to
             be included in the missile shield project. 

             Mr Lee reiterated his stance in a meeting
             yesterday with a visiting Japanese
             lawmaker, Masateru Nakayama, saying the
             positive development of relations with
             Beijing were conditional on the sides
             regarding each other as equals. 

             "I hope the sides can continue to strengthen
             exchange and dialogue and use peaceful
             means to resolve mutual issues," Mr Lee
             said. 

                                                       

                                                            
                                                   Related
                                                   Stories:

                                                 CHINA - MAIN
                                                Jet fighter probe
                                                after fourth crash

                                                   WORLD
                                                 Theatre Missile
                                                Defence system
                                                put on fast track
                                                   after test
                                                  successes

                                                 BUSINESS -
                                                   CHINA
                                                 Tensions see
                                                   mainland
                                                  investment
                                                   decline

                                                       

                                                  Print a copy


                                                Send this article
                                                  to a friend

                                                       

               
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com