China has warned Taiwan again through the US not to hold a referendum to seek independence, saying it would trigger a crisis in cross-Strait ties, Taiwanese news reports said yesterday.
Two Chinese envoys made the warning when they met US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in Washington DC on Monday, Taiwanese radio and newspapers said, quoting US State Department deputy spokesman Philip Reeker as saying on Friday.
The two enjoys, Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) and Zhou Mingwei (周明偉), director and deputy director of the Chinese State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, told Armitage that Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) insistence on holding a referendum was a gradual form of seeking independence for Taiwan.
"By doing that, Taiwan will cross the red line of China's tolerance and will cause regional tension. China will not sit idle," Chen and Zhou told Armitage.
Armitage was expected to pass on China's warning to a Taiwanese delegation led by Presidential Secretary General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) yesterday, Taiwanese press said.
This is the second time in two month Chinese officials have warned Taiwan through the US not to hold a referendum on Taiwan's future.
On June 1, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), while attending the G8 summit in Evian, France, told US President George W. Bush that China would not sit idle if Taiwan held a referendum to decide its future.
President Chen plans to hold a referendum on nuclear power and WHO membership in March, the same month Taiwan is scheduled to hold its presidential election. Chen has said he will seek a second four-year term in next year's election.
Meanwhile, Chiou and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) gave separate briefings in Washington on Friday to researchers from two US think tanks on Taiwan's proposed referendum.
Although the two briefings at the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, respectively, were closed to the press, some of the US experts on Chinese affairs said afterward the briefings were helpful in easing their misgivings on the referendum issue.
An anonymous source said the Taiwan delegation explained the reasons behind wanting to hold a referendum as well as fielded questions from US experts regarding the referendum process, how the issues were chosen, how the questions on the ballot will be worded, and what effects the referendum will have.
The source said the US experts were not opposed to the idea of a referendum in Taiwan but were concerned about its possible political impact on Washington-Beijing-Taipei relations. They informed Chiou that Washington would not like to see any crisis straining ties at this time and that a referendum in Taiwan could possibly trigger such a crisis.
Also see story:
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS