Chen upbeat about next election

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that he was confident about his re-election bid and that he was interested in visiting China once re-elected, but only under certain conditions.

"I won't accept the `one China' policy because Taiwan is not part of China," Chen said. "Nor do I accept the `one country, two systems' model, because we're different from Hong Kong."

He said that the crux of the problem did not lie in his personal interests but in China's attitude.

"I'll never sacrifice the nation's sovereignty and dignity to visit China simply because I want to go," he said.

Chen made the remarks during a 90-minute question-and-answer sessions with members of the public on a Power TV (中天電視) show called e@sy talk. The questions were sent using the Internet.

When asked why he had so much confidence in his re-election bid, Chen recalled his success in the 2000 presidential election.

"While many people didn't have much confidence in Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and I, we eventually managed to prevail," he said.

Chen, however, refused to reveal whether he would again team up with Lu in their re-election bid.

"I'm not in the position to make such an announcement because I have to respect the nomination process of my party," Chen said.

When asked what was the greatest challenge of his re-election bid, Chen said that it was he himself.

"You just have to keep outpacing yourself and make sure that you don't let yourself and everybody down," he said.

Chen also welcomed the joint ticket of KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) by saying that he "totally respects the two parties' decision."

Despite the opposition camp's repeated calls to open direct transportation links with China, Chen said that the government should carefully review the feasibility of such a plan before implementing it.

"While direct cross-strait links may benefit certain industries, the government should also take into consideration the disadvantages it would bring to others," Chen said.

Lu also expressed her reservations about opening direct links too quickly.

"The `small three links' in Kinmen and Matsu haven't had many favorable results, so it doesn't sound like a good idea to expand the scope of the program," she said.

Alluding to the US-led war against Iraq, Chen said that he prayed for peace in Iraq as well as across the Taiwan Strait.

"As a peace-loving country, we really hate to see any war break out in any part of the world, including across the Strait," Chen said.

If there is any lesson to be learnt from the war, Chen said, it is that Taiwan should always be ready for the worst.

"It doesn't necessarily mean, however, we have to be bellicose or provocative," he said.

When asked about ways to expand Taiwan's diplomatic space, Lu proposed that the government apply for the Nobel prize for the nation's contribution to world peace.

"We should be recognized for the economic miracles as well as the political miracles we've performed and our endeavor in maintaining peace, both across the Strait and around the world," she said.