Sun, Dec 23, 2007 page1

• Referendum no provocative tool: Chen

  HIGH-LEVEL Analysts believe that Beijing has been hoping for US President Bush to weigh in on Taiwan's UN referendum. But Condoleezza Rice could be all that it gets

  • By Charles Snyder, Shih Hsiu-chuan and Mo Yan-chih / STAFF REPORTERS IN WASHINGTON AND TAIPEI
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  The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government will go ahead with the UN referendum as it is a response to a public petition, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday, adding he was confident the referendum would pass.

  "There is absolutely no provocative policy, but only a policy that respects public opinion ... It is not Taiwan that is acting provocative today, it is China," Chen said.

  Chen made the remarks yesterday in response to a statement by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who on Friday criticized the DPP government's UN referendum as a "provocative policy."

  In a year-end press conference on Friday, Rice called the referendum a "provocative policy" that "unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait and ... promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage."

  Her statement followed similar remarks made over the past few months by other lower-level US officials, including Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt.

  Responding to Rice, Chen said the referendum was an engagement the government had made in response to the request of the people.

  "The referendum comes from the bottom up, from the 23 million people of Taiwan. The people took the initiative to make the proposal and enthusiastically put their signatures on the petition to sustain the referendum," Chen said.

  Chen said the government must hold the referendum, as the conditions required by the Referendum Law (公民投票法) have been met and because the DPP government is an "administration that operates in accordance with the law."

  China, on the other hand, is the one that is being provocative, Chen said, citing the recent example of Beijing forcing the WHO to list Taiwanese ports under China in its International Health Regulations Authorized Ports List.

  At a separate setting yesterday, DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said that US opposition to the UN referendum was a test of Taiwanese perseverance, confidence and judgment in seeking the nation's entry into the UN under the name "Taiwan."

  "Nothing great has ever been achieved without difficulty," Hsieh said when asked to comment on Rice's statement.

  No one is in a position to demand a halt to the referendum as it is an initiative that is supported by the more than 2 million petitions made by Taiwanese, he said.

  Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday shared his concerns over Rice's remarks, warning that US-Taiwan relations could soon reach a "freezing point" if Taipei continued to ignore Washington.

  "I have felt the US' concerns over the UN referendum issue. With the level of the US officials expressing concerns getting higher and higher, Taiwan-US relations are facing a great challenge," Ma said while campaigning for KMT legislative candidates in Taoyuan.

  Asked to comment on the impact of Rice's remarks on Taiwan-US relations, Ma said that although the ties had yet to reach a "freezing point," they were worsening as the DPP government continues to push for the referendum.

  The US' interpretation of the DPP government's actions as "provocative" also has a negative impact on Taiwan's national security, Ma said.

  Ma criticized Chen for insisting that his administration was not being provocative by promoting the nation's entry in the UN under the name "Taiwan."

  "President Chen can keep on saying it, but it will only damage Taiwan-US relations. It's not something a leader who loves Taiwan should do," Ma said.

  While expressing his support for the nation's entry into the UN and other international organizations, Ma urged Chen and the DPP not to pursue the goal with an "inappropriate approach."

  "Joining the UN is the collective expectation of all Taiwanese, but using the wrong approach to achieve this goal would only damage the trust of our allies," Ma said.

  Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said he found Rice's statement regrettable and urged the US not to overact to the UN referendum.

  Huang also called on the US to avoid being influenced by China, which he said must have spent tremendous effort asking that the US pressure Taiwan over the referendum issue.

  Chinese State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Deputy Director Sun Yafu (孫亞夫) recently visited New York and Washington, said Huang. Sun must have asked the US to do something about the referendum, added Huang, whom returned to Taiwan earlier yesterday after his trip to Latin America, en route to which he met with US think tank academics in the US.

  "A little while ago, [TAO Director] Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) was also in Washington and I am told he will be there again next month. Not long ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎) also made some requests while meeting US President [George W.] Bush," Huang said.

  In Washington, observers saw Rice's statement as a pro forma bow to Chinese demands for a top-level response to the referendum plan, rather than an intensification of Washington's campaign against the referendum.

  Observers found it significant that she had volunteered her assessment in an opening statement spanning the world scene, but also that she avoided much of the stronger language her deputies had used in earlier statements opposing the referendum.

  Taiwan watchers believe her statement will likely obviate the need for Bush to weigh in on the issue. They feel that could be a disappointment to Beijing, which is said to have been pushing for a statement by Bush.

  Taiwan supporters were somewhat cheered that Rice's statement did not go further in condemning the referendum.

  "Other people have [said] that this would change the `status quo' or lead to independence, which is language more associated with the PRC [People's Republic of China] position," said Michael Fonte, an adviser to the DPP in Washington. "Her position here does not seem as associated with the PRC position."

  "I am happy to see that it was not just a simple statement about Taiwan, but was part of a larger context," he said.

  Rice started her statement by committing the US to peace and security in the region and opposing "any threat to use force" and other moves on either side to alter the "status quo," Fonte said.

  In contrast, Rice's deputy, Negroponte, earlier this year called the referendum a move toward a declaration of independence, using the Chinese formulation, adding that it imperilled the "status quo."

  Other anti-referendum statements by National Security Council Asian specialists Dennis Wilder and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Christensen have mentioned the "status quo" and independence, terms that raised alarm in Taipei.

  Observers believe Rice's comments could be enough to satisfy China's long-term desire for a highest-level public comment on the referendum.

  "That's it," one observer said.

  During his recent trip to Taiwan, Burghardt received assurances from both Hsieh and Ma that the referendum would not be considered legally enforceable, some sources have said.

  This, the sources believe, should be enough to allay the fears of the Bush administration that passage of the DPP referendum would cause serious cross-strait problems after the election.

  Additional reporting by CNA and AFP
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