President Chen Shui-bian (
The paper published excerpts of Chen's hour-long interview on its front page Saturday under the title "Taiwan Leader Defends Vote."
According to the paper, Chen rejected international concerns that the proposed referendum is a provocation that endangers the uneasy peace in the Taiwan Strait. He also characterized Beijing's denunciation of the referendum as part of a broader attempt during the last 17 years to intimidate Taiwan's 23 million people as they move along the path of democracy.
Chen is putting two questions to a vote in a referendum on March 20 -- which is also the date of a presidential election. The questions are as follows:
"The people of Taiwan demand that the Taiwan Strait issue be resolved through peaceful means. Should mainland China refuse to withdraw the missiles it has targeted at Taiwan and openly renounce the use of force against us, would you agree that the government should acquire more advanced anti-missile weapons to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities?"
"Would you agree that our government should engage in negotiation with mainland China on the establishment of a peace and stability framework for cross-strait interaction in order to build consensus and for the welfare of the peoples of both sides?"
Chen said that he appreciates the concerns from the international community, particularly the US government and US President George W. Bush, and he gave assurances that the Taiwan issue would not be a liability or a burden to the US.
If re-elected March 20, Chen pledged to maintain the status quo and a permanent peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Referring to his plan to draft a new constitution by 2006, Chen said that the drafting process will be conducted on the basis of the status quo and will focus on internal issues aimed mainly at improving government efficiency.
The paper also published an interview with opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Lien said that if he is elected, he will begin a dialogue with Beijing "as soon as the atmosphere is right."
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