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Cross-strait flights initiative rejected

"We don't want to respond to China's bad intentions with a goodwill gesture."

Cho Jung-tai, Cabinet spokesman

The government rejected a proposal from Beijing to negotiate with Taiwanese aviation representatives about cross-strait flights yesterday, saying that discussion was impossible under the shadow of the military threat from China.

Just three days before China is slated to pass legislation that would set the stage for military aggression against Taiwan, Chinese aviation official Pu Zhaozhou (浦照洲), proposed a round of talks with Taipei Airlines Association chairman Michael Lo (樂大信) similar to the negotiations that preceeded direct Lunar New Year flights last month.

Pu extended the invitation in his non-governmental capacity as the Chinese Civil Aviation Association executive director and Straits Aviation Exchange Commission vice chairman.

Beijing has been pushing for co-operation on cross-strait chartered passenger flights during Tomb-sweeping Day, which this year falls on April 5.

The invitation, however, was received with scorn in Taipei, with the nation's top cross-strait policymaking body saying the proposal was a thinly disguised attempt at bringing about political unification with China.

"The Taiwanese people can see right off the bat that this is just part of China's `war for unification,'" Mainland Affairs Council Spokesman Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said.

Asked whether the government would accept Pu's invitation, Chiu responded: "Given the military threats from Beijing, could we possibly accept?"

Lo also confirmed that he would not be taking up China's offer.

"It's impossible that I go, as the government has not authorized me to do so," Lo said yesterday afternoon, indicating that he planned to relay the government's decision to Pu soon.

As the government's authorized representative, Lo hammered out an agreement with Pu in January that resulted in Lunar New Year chartered direct flights.

When Beijing first proposed last month another round of flights next month, Taiwan had said at the time that it would have to complete its assessment of the Lunar New Year flights before making a decision on Tomb-sweeping Day flights.

As Taiwan had earlier set cross-strait cargo flights as a priority, China's call for passenger charters next month was given a lukewarm reception.

Chiu said that government agencies had met earlier this month to review the impact the Lunar New Year flights had on cross-strait relations, but said that the "anti-secession" law added a new dimension to deliberations.

"The anti-secession law will inevitably become another factor we consider in assessing future opportunities for cross-strait exchange" Chiu said yesterday morning during a scheduled press conference.

Cabinet spokesman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) echoed Chiu's sentiments, telling the Bloomberg newswire yesterday that Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) would not "make any decisions [on closer air links] in the next week or two because the atmosphere with the passage of the anti-secession law isn't good."

Bloomberg further quoted Cho as saying "We don't want to respond to China's bad intentions with a goodwill gesture. We just want to wait and see."

Chiu warned that the bill would cause considerable backlash in Taiwan and that the ambiguous terms Beijing had employed in its proposed anti-secession bill would further strain relations. He pointed out that "non-peaceful means" could be anything, citing military blockades, economic embargos, and diplomatic intimidation as possibilities.

Chiu also said that the ambiguity of China's anti-secession bill was enough to put a halt to the perceived warming in cross-strait relations in recent months.

"What concerns us more is the bill's reference to `other necessary measures.' The uncertainty that this phrase poses will be a significant assault on future cross-strait economic cooperation," Chiu said.

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