President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) hopes to use an upcoming visit by former US President Bill Clinton as an opportunity to discuss global issues.
"During the meeting with Mr Clinton, President Chen will not focus on local issues and will only narrowly discuss affairs such as China policy or Taiwan's stance," sources from the Presidential Office told the Taipei Times yesterday.
"The president expects that dialogue will touch extensively on the trend of globalization and the New World Order."
Though the government did not arrange Clinton's visit, officials hope the public will take a positive attitude toward Clinton and welcome him as an influential guest.
"The Taiwanese people should not judge the former US president harshly because of his pro-China stance," the official said.
The official said that many Taiwanese may still harbor resentment toward Clinton because of his "three nos" policy, which he articulated in Shanghai during his 1998 tour of China.
"But the president hopes Taiwan's people will pay more attention to how `the Clinton experience' can inspire the country," the official said.
The "three nos" policy held that the US would not support independence for Taiwan; a "two Chinas" or "one Taiwan, one China" policy; or support Taiwan's membership in any organization for which statehood is a requirement.
Among Taiwan's political circles the "three nos" were viewed as the biggest blow to US-Taiwan ties since 1979, when Jimmy Carter's administration cut official ties with the country.
DPP lawmaker Parris Chang (
"We don't expect Mr Clinton to apologize to Taiwan for these blows in his upcoming speech in Taipei," Chang said in his article. "But we hope he will not continually promote the `one China' policy for Beijing."
"We also hope Clinton can sincerely examine Taiwan's achievements in democracy, freedom, and human rights -- which is totally different from the situation in China," Chang added, "and to share his observations with his Democrat colleagues in the US -- to convince them to support this free country."
The Presidential Office said that Chen was especially interested in Clinton's experiences in overcoming the political struggles of the early days of his presidency.
It is inevitable that political observers will compare President Chen with Clinton, a source from the President Office said, and the comparison will help Clinton to get a clearer picture of Taiwan's people.
The source said presidential staff believe that Clinton's visit will receive more public attention than any other recent foreign leader's visit.
Since Chen came to power in May last year, the visits of world leaders have sparked controversy.
These included visits from the likes of Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) in September of last year and former South Korean president Kim Young-sam (金泳三) in July of this year.
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