A widely circulated Japanese daily newspaper, the Asahi Shim-bun, reported yesterday that Taiwan defines direct transport links with China as "special international routes" but Taiwan's presidential office denied this yesterday.
In an interview that was held Friday and published yesterday in the Asahi Shimbun, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said "China characterizes such routes as domestic ones with the intention of downgrading Taiwan's status to that of a province of China -- which cannot be accepted by Taiwan."
The article then went on to say that Taiwan's stance is only characterizing direct shipping and air links with China as "special international routes" to make negotiations with China possibility.
A source from the presidential office who wishes to stay anonymous said yesterday that President Chen was against characterizing the routes as domestic ones in the interview, but he never proposed a definition of the matter.
Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, the top agency in Taiwan governing mainland affairs, told the Taipei Times yesterday that the council would not comment on the matter until it found out what President Chen actually meant to say.
The council has long held the position of characterizing the routes as either domestic or international, while it suited China's propaganda to call the routes domestic ones.
But the president stressed in the report that the Cabinet will propose a complete plan on direct transport links with China by the end of November, adding that if China refused to have talks with Taiwan, cross-strait direct shipping and air links would remain impossible.
While explaining his stand on relations between Taiwan and China, the president said, "The People's Republic of China on the other side of the Taiwan Strait is one nation and the Republic of China in Tai-wan constitutes another. We should acknowledge the difference between us ? This is a historical fact and reality."
According to the Asahi Shimbun report, President Chen also called for a strengthening of ties with Japan.
"There is room for more cooperation in the areas of politics, military affairs and security," he was quoted as saying.
Chen also urged Japan to discount Beijing's reactions to any of its dealings with Taipei.
"The exchanges between Japan and China should not affect the promotion of relations between Taiwan and Japan ? both can exist without contradiction ? ministerial-level officials of other nations have visited Taiwan but Japanese ministers seem to be restricted," Chen was quoted as saying by the Japanese daily.
On the possibility of signing a free-trade agreement with Japan, the president noted that the problem of naming a Singapore-Taiwan agreement has been resolved recently and the signing process is proceeding smoothly.
"The Japanese government is taking an interest in this and we hope to start with private-sector level studies and dialogue," he said.
President Chen has said Tai-wan should search for economic cooperation with the US, Japan and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by signing free-trade agreements.
The Asahi Shimbun is the second-largest daily in Japan. It was established in 1872 and is considered to be influential in Japanese society.
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