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DPP eyes allies at Beijing Games

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus said yesterday the government should pay attention to political moves made by officials from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies during the Beijing Olympic Games next month.

The Taipei Times’ sister newspaper, the Chinese-language Liberty Times, reported yesterday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has not yet compiled a list of government officials from diplomatic allies that will be attending the Games.

DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) yesterday told a press conference at the legislature that China would likely use the Olympics to entice allies away from Taiwan, and that MOFA should try to prevent this and take control of the situation.

He said in the past China has taken every chance it gets to attract Taiwan’s allies.

Lai said that some of the allies maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan because they oppose communism and China’s violation of human rights, but also said that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) were taking an approach of reconciliation toward China, which could alienate Taiwan’s allies.

DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-Jer (�?�) urged the government to allow Taiwan’s Olympic team to bring the country’s flag to Beijing, highlighting Taiwan as a sovereign country.

Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) said yesterday that some of the leaders of countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan want to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The leaders said they wanted to attend in the name of sport and that their attendance would not affect their relations with Taiwan, Ou said.

On how many of these leaders would be attending the opening ceremony, Ou said that the ministry was still unable to give a number because many of these leaders were undecided.

Ou said that he did not think China would use invitations to the opening ceremony as a way to entice Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.

Ou said that friendly and stable relations are the most important factor for countries that have diplomatic ties with each other.

Relations between two countries do not just change because one country attends the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, he said, adding that if relations did change, that would mean relations were not stable.

At present, Taiwan’s diplomatic relations with these countries is very stable and will not change just because the leaders of these nations go to see the opening ceremony, he said.

What is most important is that these countries tell Taiwan clearly that they are going in the name of sport, that their visits have nothing to do with politics and that their visits will not affect their friendly, bilateral relations with Taiwan, Ou said.

When asked by reporters about what the ministry would do if Taiwan’s athletes suffered oppression from the Chinese government, Ou said this would not happen because the Olympic Games has been held many times and there is an established way of doing things with a set of rules in place.
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