Chen calls for three-party approach to Taiwan Strait

On the eve of the second anniversary of the passage of China's "Anti-Secession" Law, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) urged the EU to retain its ban on arms sales to China and for the US, Taiwan and China together to manage peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Until China improves its human-rights record and relinquishes attempts to use military force against Taiwan, Chen said the international community -- particularly the EU -- should maintain its arms embargo against China.

The embargo was imposed following the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.

Chen said, however, that Taiwan opposed the management of the "Taiwan issue" by the US and China. He said Taiwan and those two countries should work together to maintain peace, security and stability in the Strait.

Chen made the remarks while receiving John Hamre, president and CEO of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.

Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), professor at the National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of National Development, said that President Chen's call for the joint management of the Strait's stability was made to counter the proposal made by some US academics that the US and China co-manage the Taiwan issue.

"The president's goal is to establish the framework of `three party' talks," he said. "However, China's attitude is key because it does not want to see the US interfere in its `domestic affairs.'"

The president also urged China to learn from Taiwan's nationalization of its armed forces so the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would serve the country and its people rather than a particular party or individual.

He also asked China to practice genuine democratic elections that are free, fair and open.

"China should have elections so that political parties can enjoy fair competition, opposition parties can be legally recognized and transfer of party power would be possible," he said. "China should learn from Taiwan's democratization and allow its people to directly elect their national leaders and parliamentary representatives."

The president chastised China for legalizing its military ambition to attack Taiwan by enacting the "Anti-Secession" Law after it failed to deter Taiwan's first free presidential election in 1996 by firing live missiles into the Strait.

"The piece of legislation not only reflects China's hegemonic nature of indulging in wars of aggression, but also imposes a great threat to the safety of the democratic community in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

China has increased its military budgets by double-digits since 1989 and the 17.8 percent growth in its defense budget this year was the biggest since 1989.

"We think such an increase goes far beyond its needs of self-defense," the president said, adding that China's actual defense expenditure last year increased by 20 percent compared with 2005.

In Beijing, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) urged the PLA to firmly adhere to ommunist leadership, the People's Daily yesterday quoted Hu as saying.

"We must strictly abide by political and organizational discipline and ensure that the army under all conditions and at all times firmly obeys the orders of the party's central committee," Hu was quoted as telling military delegates at the National People's Congress.