AFP+Reuters: Vatican told to choose: China or Taiwan

[Dao Van <daotb@yahoo.com>]

OCT 27 1999

Vatican told to choose: China or Taiwan

BEIJING -- China said yesterday it wanted improved relations with the
Vatican but demanded the Holy See sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. 

"China is willing to improve relations
with the Vatican," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhang Qiyue told reporters
when asked to comment on a report that the two sides would establish
diplomatic relations at the end of the year. 

"But there are two basic prerequisites.

"First, the Vatican must sever so-called
diplomatic relations with Taiwan. 

"Second, the Vatican must undertake not
to interfere in China's internal affairs, including through religious
matters."

Taiwan dismissed the report, in the Hongkong Chinese-language newspaper
The Sun, which said there had been secret China-Vatican talks on
breaking ties with Taiwan. 

"The report is groundless," said a
Taiwanese Foreign Ministry official. 

"It was a vicious-minded report intended
to scare us."

The Vatican said on Monday it hoped for
"good contacts" with China but had had no
direct talks on normalising relations.  -- Reuters, AFP



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