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Beijing protests Lu's stopovers in the US

China has protested Washington's decision to let Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) make brief US stops on the way to and from Latin America, saying the visits will hurt ties between Beijing and Washington.

US permission for Lu's visit "is sending the wrong signal to Taiwan authorities and has brought about a negative impact on Sino-US relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) said yesterday.

Washington on Wednesday defended its decision.

"It's a transit," US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Wednesday, in response to the Chinese objection. "It's being done for the safety, convenience and comfort of the traveler," he said.

Boucher added that the stop-overs were "very similar to other transits that we've allowed in the past."

The US has allowed Taiwanese leaders to make brief stopovers but Washington tries to keep them low-key to avoid angering China.

Lu and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) have previously met US lawmakers during their stopovers but Lu is reported to have no media engagements during her upcoming US trips.

China routinely objects to senior Taiwanese officials' US transit stops, seeing them as a way for Taiwan's government to try boosting its international recognition.

Lu is scheduled to stop in Las Vegas today and tomorrow on the way to visit Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Latin America -- El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

On her return a week later, she plans a three-day stop in San Francisco.

"The transit by the so-called Taiwan leader is only an excuse with the true aim of splitting China and sabotaging China-US relations," Liu said. "We urge the US side to see clearly the harmfulness of its position.''

The US doesn't formally recognize Taiwan's government, but maintains strong unofficial ties. It is the nation's biggest arms supplier and a potential ally in any conflict with China.

Lu thanked the US for agreeing to let her stop there.

"China has mobilized many resources to beat me down, but I thank the United States for arranging my transits as before," Lu said at a news conference in Taipei.

The visits come a week after Lu and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) were inaugurated for a second term, and days after a Chinese spokesman threatened that Beijing would "thoroughly crush schemes for Taiwan independence."

Lu said she was looking forward to visiting Las Vegas, but was "not going there to gamble."

"Las Vegas not only has casinos. It's also a location for international conventions," she said.

Lu said Taiwan could learn from the state of Nevada about how to attract more interntaional conferences.

Lu stops in Las Vegas today before flying on to El Salvador on Sunday. She goes to Costa Rica on June 2 to June 4 and visits Guatemala on June 4 to June 6. She plans to stop in San Francisco on June 6.

She said that Costa Rica is a regional base for non-governmental organizations -- a role she wants Taiwan to assume, despite its relative diplomatic isolation.
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