President says nation is undeniably 'sovereign, independent'
Posted: December 8, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
Taiwan's presidential elections scheduled for March of
next year are looking more and more like a referendum on independence for the
island – at the very time mainland China is threatening against any such moves
by Taipei.
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian yesterday said no country in the world
could deny the island was a "sovereign, independent" nation that was separate
from the mainland.
He accused his presidential election challenger Lien Chan, of the opposition
Kuomintang, of trying to appease the mainland and in the process, selling out
Taiwan.
"Taiwan is never a part of another. It is a great nation with independent
sovereignty," he said.
Chen made the comments during a campaign rally in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan,
at which he also dismissed an appeal by Lien for the Taiwanese government to
patch up relations with the mainland and stop stirring up ethnic disputes.
With the world's geo-political focus shifting from Afghanistan to North Korea
to Iraq over the last year, it's easy to overlook an ever-looming threat –
China's future effort to retake Taiwan.
It's not so much a question of "if" China will make its move, it's more a
question of "when." Even now Beijing is taking steps to prepare for the
inevitable.
While China has decided to cut its military by 20 percent – some 500,000
troops – over the next five years, it is actually increasing the military forces
facing Taiwan. This is very significant. It's a signal of what's ahead. It's a
sign of what's coming.
Right now, China is reducing its military to some 1.85 million troops. It is
demobilizing many non-essential personnel. Dozens of military hospitals will be
put under local civilian authorities. Command headquarters will be closed and
military schools will be merged. Some of the demobilized soldiers will be
transferred directly to the People's Armed Police, China's 1-million-strong
internal security force.
China's military are building and training with amphibious craft, and have
bought from Russia dozens of advanced fighters, four diesel submarines and two
advanced destroyers – all necessary components of an assault on Taiwan.
In addition, Taiwan is facing a tough economic recession and the country is
already thinking about its March 2004 presidential election.
"We all must realize that there is no ethnic dispute in Taiwan, but a
difference in ideology," said Chen. "That is to say, either you do or do not
recognize Taiwan as a sovereignty independent country and not a part of China."
He said that if Lien and his running mate, James Soong Chu-yu of the People
First Party, won the elections next year, it would be a disaster for Taiwan as
they would hand the island over to the mainland.
Lien has formed an alliance with Soong to run against Chen in next March's
presidential elections.
Chen's remarks came a day after he told another rally that "Taiwan is Taiwan
and China is China".
"Being a Taiwanese, a complete Taiwanese, we must loudly say Taiwan is a
country," he said on Friday night at a campaign rally in Taipei.
Chen's comments were believed to have been deliberately made to consolidate
support from pro-independence forces, and to provoke the central government in
the hope that any strong action from the mainland could spur nationalistic
sentiment in Taiwan and increase the level of support for him.
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
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