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China + taiwan + US ....(SCMP + Xinhua + CNA)
Friday, August 27, 1999
Beijing slams US
'meddling over
sect'
AGENCIES (SCMP)
Beijing yesterday hit out at "interference"
by the US following criticism in
Washington of plans to prosecute leaders
of the banned Falun Gong sect.
Key issues such as deteriorating human
rights practices, including a crackdown on
Falun Gong, and increased cross-strait
tensions, are expected to be thrashed out at
the summit between President Jiang Zemin
and US President Bill Clinton next month
in New Zealand.
"The Chinese side resolutely opposes
foreign intervention in China's internal
affairs under any pretext," the Foreign
Ministry said.
"China is a country ruled by law. Our laws
protect citizens' freedom of association,
speech, assembly and religious belief. But
we will not allow anyone to abuse this
freedom or to engage in activities that
sabotage social order.
"Falun Gong is an illegal organisation
with features of a cult that is anti-science .
. . anti-society and anti-government."
The ministry said the handling of the
movement had been "completely in
accordance with the law".
US State Department spokesman James
Foley criticised Beijing on Wednesday
over its plan to prosecute leading
members of Falun Gong and urged Beijing
to respect international agreements on
human rights.
"It's also our long-standing belief that no
one should be persecuted for peaceful
assembly, association or peaceful
expression of their views," he said.
"We therefore urge the Chinese
Government to live up to its obligations
under international human rights
instruments and protect freedom of
thought, conscience and religion."
The United States continues to reject
Beijing's demand that Falun Gong's
US-based founder, Li Hongzhi, be
extradited to China for trial.
China banned Falun Gong on July 22,
calling it an illegal organisation that
corrupted people's minds, sabotaged
stability and sought to replace the
Government.
The authorities have since rounded up
thousands of sect followers.
Xinhua said this week that the Communist
Party and the State Council had issued a
circular saying core members of the sect
"must be punished in accordance with the
law".
Beijing has also called on Washington to
stop selling arms to Taiwan and to steer
clear of what it says are China's "internal
matters".
The Information Centre of Human Rights
and Democratic Movement said Beijing
was expected to charge more than 50 sect
leaders.
-------------
A Chronology of Lee Teng-hui's Separatist Activities
BEIJING, August 26 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua today released a lengthy
article exposing Lee Teng-hui's efforts to split Taiwan from
China over his past 11 years in office, and how these efforts
culminated in his total denial of the "one China" principle when
he made his "two-states" remarks.
In an interview with a German radio station on July 9, Lee
redefined cross-Straits relations as "state-to-state" relations,
which alarmed the whole world.
"Despite many of his recent chicaneries that he was not
changing his policies, Lee Teng-hui had been plotting his steps
carefully toward publicizing his long-standing intention to split
China," the article said.
When he first took office, Lee felt he was too weak to speak
his mind, so he declared publicly that "there is no policy of two
Chinas, but rather the policy of one China," the article said.
With consolidation of his power in the Taiwan political
arena, he started to gradually shift his position, the article
said, and gave the following chronology of events:
-- In May 1990 Lee said the reality of cross-Straits
relations is "one China, two governments."
-- In August 1992, he said ,"China is in a state of
temporary separation, governed by two separate political entities.
"
-- In February 1993, he told a group of separatist activists
that he had never mentioned that there was only one China, but
spoke of the " Republic of China in Taiwan."
-- At an APEC meeting in Seattle in November 1993, his "
minister of economy" said that the Republic of China and the
People's Republic of China are two sovereign states, and that one
does not belong to the other, and vice versa.
-- During a talk with a Japanese writer in March 1994, Lee
said that "China is a vague word," stressing that his basic idea
was that Taiwan should be Taiwanese.
-- The next month, Lee told separatist activists in Taiwan
that "there is no such issue as one China; the two sides across
the Straits are separate countries."
-- In July 1994, the Taiwan authorities published a paper
demanding that the world "fully recognize" the fact that the two
sides across the Straits are "two coexisting legal entities in the
international community."
-- During his tour to the United States in June 1995, Lee
never ceased preaching that "the Republic of China is in Taiwan
and the People's Republic of China is in the mainland."
-- The Taiwan authorities proposed "one divided China" in
February 1997.
-- In May of this year, Lee Teng-hui went so far as to
publish a book suggesting that China be divided into seven parts.
And only 50 days later, he made his "two-states" remarks
and completed the process of denying the one China principle, the
article said.
The article went on to expose the fact that Lee has made
tremendous political, military and diplomatic efforts in
preparation for his denial of the one China principle:
-- Inside the island, he has taken advantage of the so-
called "constitutional reform" to elbow out political enemies
while conniving at separatism; propagated the rumor of military
threat from the mainland to create chaos and speed up armament; "
reclaimed" Taiwan educational principles to sever cultural ties
with the mainland.
-- In handling cross-Straits relations, he refused dialogues
on the peaceful reunification as well as direct links for commerce,
shipping, and postal services with the Chinese mainland.
-- In foreign relations, Lee has been trying to "buy support
" from poor and small countries to make the Taiwan issue an
international issue; he catered to anti-China forces by procuring
large amounts of weapons and vying for entry into the so-called "
Theater Missile Defense" system.
The article also unmasked Lee's close connection with Taiwan
's most prominent separatist organization, "the Democratic
Progressive Party."
"Lee has done many things that the separatists have dreamed
of but never could do," the article said.
"All the history is on the record, and the facts are known
to the world, and it is no use for Lee Teng-hui to disavow it,"
the article pointed out, concluding that he is "doomed to have his
name printed on the pillar of shame in Chinese history together
with other traitors to the people." Enditem
-----------------------
08-26-99
'SPECIAL STATE-TO-STATE' THEORY IS DEFENSIVE POLICY: SCHOLAR
San Francisco, Aug. 25 (CNA) ROC President Lee Teng-hui's
"special state-to-state" theory is basically a defensive policy to
cope with changes in the status quo and rules of game in
Taipei-Washington-Beijing ties, a scholar said here Wednesday.
Tien Hung-mao, director of the Institute for National
Policy Research, a Taipei-based private think tank, said President
Lee was forced to redefine relations across the Taiwan Strait
because the rules of game in the triangular
Taipei-Washington-Beijing relations have been changed by the United
States and mainland China.
Tien, a national policy adviser to Lee, said US President Bill
Clinton's 1998 "three noes" statement and Assistant Secretary of
State Stanley Roth's recent "interim agreement" proposal have made
President Lee feel that the US stance on cross-strait ties have
been leaning toward Beijing.
Worse yet, Tien said, Beijing has unilaterally backed off a
1992 cross-strait consensus that each side is allowed to have its
own definition of "one China."
Against this background, Tien said, President Lee passively
declared in an interview with a German radio station on July 9 that
cross-strait relations should be on a "special state-to-state"
basis.
"Lee's declaration is basically a passive, defensive and
preventive move to ward off imbalance in cross-strait ties and
triangular Taipei-Washington-Beijing relations," Tien said, adding
that the "special state-to-state" definition just affirms reality
in order to ensure Taiwan's survival and safety.
Tien, a US-trained political scientist who maintains close ties
with the Republic of China's policy-making system, said even though
communist China has repeatedly pressured the United States to force
Taiwan to retract the "special state-to-state" theory, the Clinton
administration has so far not asked Taiwan to do so.
The US government has only expressed hopes that Taiwan will
continue exchanges, dialogue and negotiations with mainland China so
as to work out a peaceful solution to their disputes, Tien said.
As to Beijing's reaction, Tien said mainland China has so far not
conducted abnormal military activities and that its air force has
maintained normal operations. "There are also no signs showing that
mainland China has moved troops from inland provinces to coastal
areas opposite Taiwan."
Tien further predicted that mainland China will not take
any military action against Taiwan before the island's next
direct presidential election scheduled for March 2000. "Mainland
leaders will wait until after the election to decide whether to take
any military action against Taiwan," he forecast.
Tien made the above remarks in a speech to a seminar sponsored
by the North California Taiwan Chamber of commerce.
The main purpose of Tien's current US trip is to attend a
closed-door seminar to be held in New York on cross-strait relations
and the US policy toward Taiwan and mainland China.
Tien said two US officials in charge of Asia-Pacific affairs
--Kurt Campbell, deputy assistant secretary of defense, Susan Shirk,
deputy assistant secretary of state, will also attend the roundtable
meeting.
(By Neil Lu and Sofia Wu)
ENDITEM
^Z
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