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Chinese spokesman sends salvo, calls Chen `immoral'

China described President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday as "immoral" and warned Taiwanese voters not to be tempted by his pro-independence platform in the March 20 election.

"In seeking his personal re-election, Chen has put the tangible interests of the Taiwan people at stake," National People's Congress spokesman Jiang Enzhu (姜恩柱) told journalists ahead of China's annual parliamentary meeting opening yesterday.

"This is indeed very immoral," he said.

"We understand and respect the Taiwan compatriots' desire for developing democracy, but we firmly oppose Taiwan authorities' pursuit of Taiwan independence and any splittist activities under the cloak of democracy," Jiang said.

He said Chen had stirred up the "indignation and condemnation" of China's 1.3 billion people.

It is the latest salvo in the war of words being orchestrated by Beijing ahead of the elections.

At Wednesday's opening session of the China People's Political Consultative Conference, chairman Jia Qinglin (賈慶林) warned Taiwan against independence moves.

"We must unswervingly uphold the one-China policy, resolutely oppose separatist activities of any sort that are designed to bring about Taiwan independence and never allow anybody to separate Taiwan from China by any means," Jia said.

But despite the obvious distaste of China's leaders for Chen, Beijing has so far appeared to approach the elections more calmly than earlier elections.

Ballistic missile tests and military exercises ahead of presidential elections in 1996 and 2000 worked to push voters away from Beijing's preferred candidate and resulted in Chen's 2000 election.
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