Taiwan's young leader flaunted the island's democracy and artistic freedoms yesterday, meeting a Nobel Prize-winning Chinese writer whose recent novels and plays are banned in China.
Without directly criticizing China's oppression of writers, President Chen Shui-bian (
"Politics shouldn't interfere with literature.
PHOTO: AFP
"Rather they should serve it so that there are no taboos or restrictions on literature," Chen told Gao Xingjian (
"When facing writers, politicians should be humble and respectful," Chen said.
Chen's meeting with Gao, on a two-week visit to Taiwan, was closely watched for comments about the Chinese leadership, which dislikes both men.
Before fleeing China in 1987, Gao spent five years in a labor camp and had burned manuscripts to avoid political persecution. Beijing has not officially congratulated Gao, who lives in Paris, for being the first Chinese writer to win the Nobel. Beijing distrusts Chen, 49, because he has favored Taiwanese independence and still refuses to call himself "Chinese."
Yesterday, Gao praised Taiwan's freedoms and said that democracy was the best way to resolve political disputes, according to a presidential news release.
"Of all the Chinese-language speaking places, Taiwan completely respects the arts and culture," Gao was quoted as saying.
"For those writing in the Chinese language, Taiwan is truly their home," the statement quoted him as saying.
Before arriving in Taiwan last week, Gao stopped in Hong Kong, where he tried to avoid politics.
The former British colony's top political leaders shied away from his event in what critics described as a move to avoid running afoul of the territory's new ruler, China.
Gao's Taiwan visit has been a stark contrast to his Hong Kong trip. Along with the president, he has met the nation's premier among many other top officials.
One of Gao's most popular works is his novel Soul Mountain, a spiritual travelogue through rural China.
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