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Lee fails to make progress with China

Cross-strait relations showed no signs of improving, despite Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) special emissary to APEC, calling for dialogue with China yesterday in Bangkok.

At a press conference prior his departure, Lee said that during his exchange with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), he had conveyed Chen's greetings and desire for both sides of the Strait to resume dialogue.

"He immediately responded that, under the `one China' principle, both sides can sit down and talk," Lee said.

"I then told him that Chen had mentioned before that the `one China' issue could be negotiated in the future," he said.

Lee said he had also conveyed Chen's greeting to US President George W. Bush.

"And when I was trying to say more, he smiled and said that we'd talked a lot about cross-strait issues last year and he told me that after talking to me last year, he had less fear about cross-strait [relations] because he trusted my words," Lee said.

Lee said Bush responded. "We will stay," after Lee expressed his gratitude for US support for Taiwan.

Saying that other APEC leaders were friendly, Lee added that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was surprised that he could converse with him Japanese.

Lee departed shortly after the press conference for Vietnam, where he is slated to deliver a speech at the Asian Chemistry Congress.

Meanwhile, at a press conference at the Shangri-la Hotel, where the Chinese delegation stayed, Hu said the `one China' policy is the premise for any resumption of cross-strait talks.

"China is willing to resume cross-strait talks under the premise of the `one China' principle," Hu said.
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