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Taiwan is sovereign, Kim says

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, second right, greets former South Korean president Kim Young-sam, second left, at the Legislative Yuan yesterday. Also in the photo is DPP Legislator Cheng Feng-hsi, first left, and Deputy Legislative Speaker Chiang Pin-kung, first right. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

Taiwan is a sovereign country with national and local leaders directly elected by its people, former South Korean president Kim Young-sam said yesterday.

Accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山), Kim held his first press conference since arriving in Taipei on Monday.

"Taiwan has a 23-million strong population. Its people elect the president, legislators and local governors. Taiwan is a sovereign nation," Kim told reporters at the Grand Hotel.

"Under the current circumstances, South Korea must develop its relations with China. However, Taiwan's existence is a fact that cannot be ignored," Kim said.

"Taiwan and South Korea should properly nurture bilateral political and economic ties," he said.

Chinese officials had endeavored to stop Kim from making the eight-day trip to Taiwan. They managed to persuade some of Kim's close friends to ask him not to visit Taipei and dispatched an official to his house to give him "gifts."

Kim, who was in Japan when the Chinese official visited his house, said the official explained Beijing's position on his Taiwan visit to his secretary.

"The official said China would like to invite me for a visit. He said I could meet with anyone I wanted to. Chinese officials approached me through various channels, but I was unmoved," Kim said through an interpreter.

Asked whether he was worried his trip to Taiwan would prompt condemnation from China, Kim said that for the moment he had no need to visit Beijing.

"In the future, if circumstances allow, I will visit China. Just see how things evolve," he said.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) told Kim on Tuesday that Taiwan is an independent, sovereign nation and that it does not belong to China. This followed US State of Secretary Colin Powell's assertion during interviews with CNN and Phoenix TV that the US, China and Taiwan are seeking to bring about China and Taiwan's "peaceful reunification."

Kim, who met with former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) many times during his five-year presidency, said he understood from his conversations with Jiang that the Chinese leaders are very concerned abut the Taiwan issue.

Jiang once expressed sympathy concerning the difficulties South Korea faced owing to its unresolved reunification problem with North Korea.

"China has its reunification problem, too," Kim quoted Jiang as saying.

"I don't think President Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) Taiwan policy would be much different from Jiang's. I believe countries should keep in contact through dialogues," he said.

"Taiwan plays a significant role in Northeast Asia and the US should guard the safety of Taiwan," Kim said.

Kim, who visited the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters after the press conference, said the Taiwanese people do not need to overreact to Powell's remarks.

"Politicians sometimes made mistakes. This is inevitable. Politics cannot deny the reality. China never ruled over Taiwan. For the moment, China would not invade Taiwan because Taiwan is capable of defending itself," he said.

Kim also said he believed the DPP would perform brilliantly in the coming legislative elections.
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