1998

1999

Jan - Jun 2000

Lee Teng-hui Visiting Britain
(Liberty Times, June 27, 2000) A little over a month after stepping down from office, former President Lee Teng-hui, along with his wife and other members of his family, will today fly to the United Kingdom, sources have revealed. During his stay in England, which is being described as a personal visit, Lee will visit the University of Manchester, where he will be given honorary membership of the International Joseph A. Schumpeter Society.

Think Globally to Counter China, Urges NSC Chief
(Taipei Times, June 26, 2000) National Security Council (NSC) Deputy Secretary-General Chiou I-jen yesterday warned the current stalemate in cross-strait relations would continue unless Taiwan focused its global strategy on dealing with China. "An easy way out of the current deadlock is to put cross-strait relations within the framework of Taiwan's foreign relations and global politics," Chiou said.

Beijing Demands Taiwan's DPP Drop Independence Stance
(Associated Press, June 21, 2000) The mainland has said Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's party should quit advocating formal independence for the island, the official Xinhua (New China News Agency) said on Wednesday, suggesting such a move would help ease tensions with Beijing. The rebuff comes a day after Mr Chen offered - and Beijing rejected - a summit with President Jiang Zemin along the lines of the one just held between the leaders of North and South Korea. In a commentary printed in Chinese newspapers, Xinhua piled invective on Taiwan's claims of sovereignty and demanded that it hew to Beijing's ''one China principle.''

KMT Vows To Change
(Reuters, Jun 18, 2000) Nearly 2,000 Taiwan Nationalist Party members gathered on Saturday for the first time since a humiliating election defeat to try to revamp the party and shake off a reputation for corruption. Lien Chan, who finished a distant third in March presidential elections that ended the Nationalists' five-decade lock on power in Taiwan, was elected as party chairman.

AIT Chief Says China May Feel Compelled to Attack
(Taipei Times, June 17, 2000) Raymond Burghardt, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, said yesterday that if Beijing's leaders felt that Taiwan was "slipping away" from eventual unification with China, they would "act militarily" without regard to the economic consequences and any resultant international condemnation. Burghardt said that there is a common misbelief that "somehow cross-strait trade and investment will act as a brake on the leaders in Beijing from taking rash actions."

Two Koreas' Summit an Inspiration for Taiwan and China: Campbell
(CNA, June 14, 2000) The historic Pyongyang meeting between the leaders of South and North Korea should be an inspiration for both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Defense Secretary, said here on Wednesday.

U.S. Urges China to Ease Stand on Taiwan
(Reuters, Jun 9, 2000) U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Susan Shirk said on Friday China could coax Taiwan into reunification talks by easing its opposition to Taipei joining international organizations that do not require statehood. "I think that one way that Beijing could offer positive inducement to the people of Taiwan would be to loosen up on its opposition to Taiwan's participation in international organizations that do not require statehood."

Taiwan Says Bearing Bigger China Migrant Burden
(Reuters, Jun 5, 2000) Xia Linghong traveled hundreds of miles to Taiwan and dreamt of going home rich. The unemployed 19-year-old left his home in China's southwestern Sichuan province and made the long journey to Fujian on the coast. There he paid 20,000 yuan (US$2,400) that he had borrowed from friends and relatives for a rickety fishing-boat ride to Taiwan. But before he even stepped ashore, Xia and 10 other Chinese illegal immigrants aboard the small boat were arrested.

US Intervention Is a Realistic Expectation: Swaine
(Taipei Times, June 4, 2000) Research director of the US-based Rand Corp Center for Asia-Pacific Policy Michael D. Swaine said that Taiwan needs to bolster its defenses against invasion from China through a thorough integration of military resources and the steeling of people's resolve to withstand an attack

'One China' Too Simplified
(Taipei Times, May 30, 2000) Mainland Affairs Council Chair-person Tsai Ing-wen yesterday said that cross-strait relations should not be simplified to the point that they hinge only on the "one China" principle, adding that the new government was open to all options for future relations with China, including reunification.

Taiwan Brushes off PLA Threat
(South China Morning Post, May 26, 2000) Taiwan's armed forces yesterday played down any military threat from the mainland as the PLA launched a week-long live-fire artillery drill in an area adjoining Taiwan yesterday. Residents on Quemoy could hear the drills being conducted around Quanzhou Bay off the coast of neighbouring Fujian province.

Reno Calls Taiwan an Intelligence Threat
(Washington Times, May 24, 2000) The Clinton administration, in a departure from longtime U.S. policy, has placed Taiwan on the FBI's secret list of hostile intelligence threats, equating Taipei with aggressive spying by Beijing and Moscow. China, Russia and Taiwan are among 13 nations designated as priorities for FBI intelligence and counterespionage activities, according to a classified memorandum from Attorney General Janet Reno.

Jiang Wants Older Cadres to Settle Taiwan Problem
(South China Morning Post, May 11, 2000) President Jiang Zemin has said the Taiwan problem should be resolved while "the older generation" of cadres is still around. Talking to Politburo colleagues and aides before the inauguration of Taiwan president-elect Chen Shui-bian on May 20, Mr Jiang said the issue of reunification was as urgent as ever. A party source in Beijing yesterday quoted Mr Jiang as saying: "It's like sailing a boat against the current. If we can't make progress, the water will carry us further and further backwards."

Defense Ministry Plays Down Mainland China's War Games
(Taipei Times, May 9, 2000) Reacting to media reports about large-scale military exercises to be launched by mainland China shortly after Chen Shui-bian's May 20 presidential inauguration, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday there were few clues to confirm a threat to Taiwan's security. The exercises, which have been code-named "Qiong Dao No. 4", are to be the largest of their kind since the 1995 to 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, involving nearly 100,000 troops, according to reliable sources.

PLA Exercises Near Taiwan Normal: Beijing
(AFP, April 26, 2000) The PLA has increased military training in eastern China, which Taiwan's Defence Ministry yesterday warned could be a warm-up for war games. But, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said: "As far as military exercises carried out by the PLA are concerned, this is normal and is aimed at enhancing the capability of the Chinese military."

US Delegation Visits Taiwan to Help Defuse Tensions with China
(AFP, April 23, 2000) A four-member US delegation began their whirlwind visit to Taiwan Sunday before travelling to China to help cool the escalating tensions between the arch enemies. The team, led by former US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Winston Lord, held their first meeting here with former Taiwan provincial governor James Soong.

'Pro-Independence' Taiwanese Firms to Face Squeeze in China
(Taipei Times, April 20, 2000) China has promised to meddle in the business affairs of Taiwanese investors who favor independence for Taiwan, according to reports yesterday. Beijing has launched an investigation to ascertain the stance of investors when it comes to the issue of Taiwan's independence, Taiwan media reported yesterday, quoting sources from China's Taiwan affairs office.

China's Army Warns of Taiwan War
(AP, April 15, 2000) China's military, adding its weight to a tide of official outrage targeting Taiwan's vice president-elect, warned Saturday that the "abyss of war" awaits the island if it declares independence. The commentary in the Liberation Army Daily topped a week of vitriolic rhetoric aimed at Annette Lu by China's state-run media, which labeled her "scum of the nation," a lunatic and traitor for reportedly telling Hong Kong media that Taiwanese are distant relatives or neighbors of the mainland Chinese, rather than close family.

Jiang Says China Has Option Of Force Over Taiwan
(Reuters, Apr 13, 2000) Chinese President Jiang Zemin said on Wednesday China wanted to use peaceful means in its policy on Taiwan but would reserve the choice to use force if needed. "Our policy has very long been a consistent one. Peaceful reunification, one country, two systems," the Chinese leader told a news conference during a visit to Israel. "But we cannot undertake to give up the use of force because we need to keep this option to prevent interference in China's internal affairs."

China Indicates Air of Restraint Toward Taiwan
(New York Times, April 2, 2000) Chinese leaders have told the United States that they plan to stick with a "wait and see" attitude toward Taiwan's new president and that they are open to resuming a dialogue with the estranged island, a senior administration official said today. The Chinese assurances, if borne out, come at a crucial time for the administration, which is scrambling to put relations with China on an even keel and to persuade Congress to upgrade economic relations with it before President Clinton leaves office.

US Urges "Patiences, Flexibility and Creativity" on Taiwan
(AFP, March 30, 2000) US National Security Advisor Samuel Berger told Chinese President Jiang Zemin Thursday the US would not alter its one China policy and urged "patience, flexibility and creativitiy" in dealing with the Taiwan issue. …a senior US administrative official told journalists. "The reason we used the word creativity in these meetings is because there is the question of what does 'one China' mean," he said, on condition of anonymity.

China Tells Taiwan 'One China' Principle Is Indisputable
(AFP, March 30, 2000) Beijing warned the new government in Taiwan that it must accept the island is part of China before any talks could be held, as it urged foreign dignitaries to stay away from Taiwan. Foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said Taiwan's president-elect Chen Shui-bian, who has campaigned on a pro-independence platform, should accept the "One China" principle.

Taiwan President Leaves Party Post
(Associated Press, March 24, 2000) Taiwan's president resigned as leader of the ruling Nationalist Party on Friday, becoming the biggest victim of the opposition's stunning upset in Taiwan's presidential elections. Since the party's humiliating defeat in Saturday's election, protesters have demonstrated outside the Nationalists' headquarters, demanding that President Lee Teng-hui resign immediately as party chairman.

Cohen Calls on China to Stop Intimidating Taiwan
(Channel News Asia, March 11, 2000) US Defence Secretary William Cohen parried charges by China on Friday that Washington was encouraging "separatist forces" in Taiwan and called on Bejiing to stop intimidating Taiwan. Accusations by China's foreign minister that the United States is to blame for the escalating tension over Taiwan "really exaggerates the situation," Mr Cohen said in an interview with CNN.

Chinese Army Asked to Prepare for Taiwan War, as Leaders Talk Peace
(AFP, March 8, 2000) China's military has been asked to "prepare actively" for war with Taiwan, the army daily reported Wednesday, as top leaders kept up a verbal barrage mixed with talk of peace ahead of Taiwan's presidential elections.The call to the army was made during a meeting of senior military delegates to the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the Liberation Army Daily said.

Blair: China Not Fighting Taiwan
(Associated Press, March 7, 2000) Despite its threatening rhetoric, China does not appear to be preparing for an imminent military engagement with Taiwan, the head of American forces in the Pacific said Tuesday. "I would assess the near-term chances of conflict as fairly low," said Adm. Dennis Blair, commander-in-chief of the Pacific Command.

UN Human Rights Chief Laments "Deterioration" in China
(AFP, March 2, 2000) UN human rights chief Mary Robinson said Thursday China's human rights situation was getting worse, adding to a growing chorus of disapproval at the muzzling of basic freedoms. "One of our major concerns is that there does seem to have been a deterioration in human rights since my last visit in September 1998," the UN human rights commissioner told a press conference in Beijing.

Taiwanese Mistake Led To 3 Spies' Executions
(Washington Post, February 20, 2000) When Chinese missiles splashed down close to Taiwan four years ago, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry issued a statement to reassure apprehensive citizens: The missiles were unarmed, it said, and the warheads contained only a device to determine their accuracy. Issuing that statement, Taiwanese sources now acknowledge, was a bad mistake.

Taiwan Warned Against Possible 'Information War' by China
(CNA, Feb. 19, 2000) The Republic of China needs to guard against the possible use of "information warfare" by mainland China, researchers at a think tank warned during a seminar on Saturday. Beijing, based on the principle of taking Taiwan in a single strike, could employ its advanced information technology edge to intercept Taiwan's strategic information and interfere with its weaponry and warfare systems.

Jiang Branded Too Soft over Taiwan
(South China Morning Post, Feb. 11, 2000) Hardline former PLA generals have criticised President Jiang Zemin for being "too soft" towards Taiwan and its chief supporter, the United States. The volleys came when a group of retired generals met to discuss the recent decision by the US House of Representatives to support closer military ties between America and Taiwan.

China Urges World To Accept It Will Absorb Taiwan
(Reuters, Feb 7, 2000) China urged the world on Sunday to accept its goal of absorbing Taiwan along the lines of its unification with Hong Kong and Macau - or else risk consequences "you don't want to see." China has warned that the risk of war with Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province, has risen after the U.S. House of Representatives supported legislation to provide more military training and support to Taipei.

China Opposes Taiwan's Desire to Join UNCTAD
(The Nation (Thailand), Feb. 5, 2000) Taiwan is eager to join the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and participate in the upcoming meeting in Bangkok, but China is dead set against its involvement.

CIA Chief Warns of China-Taiwan Flare-Up
(AFP, Feb 3, 2000) Central Intelligence Agency director George Tenet said Wednesday there was "high potential" for a military flare-up in the Taiwan Strait this year between China and Taiwan. Rising tension surrounding Taiwan's presidential elections next month and comments advocating independence from Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui could supply the spark to hostilities, Tenet told a Senate hearing.

China Accuses US Of Seeking World Domination
(AFP, Feb 1, 2000) China Tuesday slammed a White House report on US global leadership objectives in the next century, saying it was tantamount to a manifesto for world domination. "'To lead the world' is the same thing as seeking global hegemony, so this report is the same thing as a manifesto on the US plan to establish global hegemony in the 21st century," the leading People's Daily said in a signed commentary.

US Think Tank Reflects Researcher's Own View Only: FM
(CNA, Jan. 25, 2000) Foreign Affairs Minister Chen Chien-jen said on Tuesday that a report by a United States think tank reflects only the researcher's own opinion, and has no bearing on the US' political stance. Chen was responding to a report by Michael Swaine, a researcher at the California-based Rand Institute, which criticized the Republic of China's military procurement policy as being often based on political rather than military considerations.

Taiwan's Lee Talks To U.S. Conservatives - On Tape
(AFP, Jan 21, 2000) Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, in a taped address Thursday to a conference of American conservatives, criticised China's human rights record and reaffirmed Taiwan's close relationship with its "strategic partner," the United States. He told activists attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, that Taipei and Washington shared the hope China would one day "democratize its government, liberalise its economy and have a pluralistic society."

Pentagon Wants to Deal Arms to Taiwan
(Washington Times, Jan. 21, 2000) The Pentagon wants to make the first new advanced weapons sales to Taiwan in several years, a deal that includes four Aegis warships that can be equipped with anti-missile defenses, according to Clinton administration officials. The ships are equipped with the Aegis high-technology battle management radar and tracking system that is the heart of the U.S. Navy's developing sea-based missile defense system.

Taiwan Voices Concerns over Flying Objects From China
(AFP, Jan. 18, 2000) Taiwan on Tuesday accused China of threatening air safety in the Taiwan Strait after discovering approximately 10 unidentified flying objects in the region, officials said. A spokesman for Taiwan's defense ministry said the objects affected civil and military flights travelling above the strait when they were spotted Sunday. "The objects were found flying westward 15,000 feet-24,000 feet (4545.45 meters-7,272.72 meters) in the middle of strait on Sunday."

China Called a Threat at Canal
(Washington Times, Jan. 13, 2000) A Pentagon intelligence report calls Chinese influence over the Panama Canal a potential threat to U.S. national security. Last week, Hong Kong's Cheng Ming newspaper quoted Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotian as saying war with the United States is inevitable. "Seen from the changes in the world situation and the United States' hegemonic strategy for creating monopolarity, war is inevitable."

Berger Says US Will Continue Normal Process Concerning Taiwan
(CNA, Jan. 7, 2000) In response to news reports that US President Bill Clinton will increase arms sales to Taiwan before leaving office next January, White House National Security Adviser Sandy Berger said Thursday that the United States will continue its normal process to discuss arms sales with Taiwan and make judgments on defensive equipment that the island may need.

Beijing Wants Taiwan Leader Shunned
(AP, Jan. 4, 2000) China has some simple advice for Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui after he retires: Stay home. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Japan, the United States and other unspecified countries should bar Lee from visiting after he steps down in March. "The countries concerned are well aware of the position that we have," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said.

KMT to Cut Off its Links with Business
(AFP, Jan. 3, 2000) Taiwan Vice-President Lien Chan said the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) would get out of business and pledged political reforms in a landmark campaign speech yesterday. In a surprise statement aimed at winning voters' hearts, he told thousands of supporters that party politics and business did not mix. "Political parties must end their businesses and the KMT will take the initiative by having its property entrusted to professional managers,"