MOFA spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) criticized Beijing for humiliating Taiwan and suppressing its international presence.
"They are rubbing salt in the wound," he said. "They deliberately pick a time when President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is meeting Guatemalan president-elect Alvaro Colom to reaffirm diplomatic ties. I suspect Beijing will continue to use the same approach to poach our diplomatic allies."
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) issued a statement last night condemning China for its "unreasonable" and "unwise" oppression of Taiwan.
Ma said in the statement that China must recognize the existence of the Republic of China (ROC) if both sides of the Taiwan Strait are to get along.
He said China's efforts to restrict Taiwan's presence on the world stage would sabotage cross-strait peace and promote ill feeling among Taiwanese.
Ma also criticized the government, saying that only a "dignified, pragmatic and flexible" approach would benefit the nation.
Ma said both sides of the strait should avoid confrontation.
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling, Flora Wang and staff writer
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