Sat, Jan 13, 2007 - Page 1 News List

China forces Chen into Pacific detour

FIVE-HOUR DELAY The president was forced to cancel meetings he had arranged with US politicians after Mexico mysteriously refused to let his aircraft travel over its airspace

By Ko Shu-ling  /  STAFF REPORTER IN LOS ANGELES

As the Nicaraguan foreign minister is scheduled to visit Taiwan next month, Huang said that he hoped they could finalize the framework of the cooperation then.

Meanwhile, in Taipei, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday questioned the value of the president's trip, suggesting that the real purpose of the trip was to make gains in domestic politics.

"Diplomatic issues should be solved by seeking real solutions, instead of making breakthroughs on technical issues such as making transits," Ma said at the KMT headquarters.

Arguing that Chen's trip had little meaning in consolidating diplomatic relations with other countries, Ma said his party, as well as the people, had limited expectations for the president's diplomatic achievements during his trip.

Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih

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