- (AFP) -- President George W. Bush delivered a stunning
personal rebuke to Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian over his plans for
a referendum, in the politically charged setting of talks with Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao.
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- Wen had travelled to Washington on Tuesday seeking to
extract a firm US condemnation of Chen's plan for a March 20 vote critical
of Beijing's military posture.
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- "We oppose any unilateral decision by either China
or Taiwan to change the status quo," Bush said, seated with Wen in
front of a crackling log fire in the Oval Office.
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- "And the comments and actions made by the leader
of Taiwan indicate that he may be willing to make decisions unilaterally
to change the status quo, which we oppose."
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- Washington is a strong supporter of democratic Taiwan,
and is bound by law to offer it the means of self-defence, but insists
it has a right to criticise actions which impinge on stability and its
own security.
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- Last week, Bush sent a senior member of his national
security council on a secret mission to Taiwan to urge it not to hold a
referendum, sources said.
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- Bush recommitted the United States to the "one-China"
policy, and the three joint communiques that are the bedrock of Sino-US
relations, then sat back as Wen delivered his own stern warning to Taiwan.
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- "The Chinese government respects the desire of people
in Taiwan for democracy," Wen said.
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- "But we must point out that the attempts of Taiwan
authorities, headed by Chen Shui-bian, are only using democracy as an excuse
and (an) attempt to resort to (a) defensive referendum to split Taiwan
away from China.
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- "Such separatist activities are what the Chinese
side can absolutely not accept and tolerate."
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- In a first reaction to his ticking off from Bush, Chen
defended his plans.
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- "We must safeguard the status quo of Taiwan's independence
from being changed. All measures taken, including the defensive referendum,
are meant to avoid war and relieve people from fears," he said.
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- "We want to maintain a status quo of peace and stability
instead of one of missile deployment and military threat," Chen said
in his office.
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- Beijing has repeatedly warned it will use military force
against Taiwan, which it sees as a rebel province, if it declares independence.
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- Chen, leader of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive
Party, said Sunday the referendum was aimed at asking China to dismantle
hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting the island.
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- Taiwan argues that the referendum would not violate Chen's
pledge not to press for independence during his four-year term, which ends
in 2004.
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- Despite Bush's terse warning to Chen, US officials stressed
that he also laid down the law to China, warning that it should not see
his remarks as an excuse to coerce Taiwan.
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- "The President did tell the Chinese in no uncertain
terms that we, the United States, will have to get involved if China tries
to use coercion or force to unilaterally change the status of Taiwan,"
the official said on condition of anonymity.
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- Bush earlier laid on the White House pageantry of a South
Lawn welcoming ceremony for Wen, an honor previously reserved in this administration
for heads of state.
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- But he salted the welcome with open criticism of China's
Communist Party system and its attitude towards human rights.
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- "China has discovered that economic freedom leads
to national wealth," Bush said as he stood alongside Wen on a chilly
morning in Washington, flanked by US and Chinese flags and an honor guard
of US soldiers.
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- "The growth of economic freedom to China provides
reason to hope that social, political and religious freedoms will grow
there, as well.
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- "In the long run, these freedoms (are) indivisible
and essential to national greatness and national dignity."
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- Bush, like Wen wearing a dark coat and blue tie, also
praised China for its diplomatic drive to end the North Korea nuclear crisis.
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- And Wen said in the Oval Office that Beijing took Washington's
anxiety over its staggering trade deficit with China seriously.
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- "We have to admit, though, in our economic and trade
relationship, problems still exist -- and mainly the US trade deficit with
China," Wen said.
-
- "The Chinese government takes this problem seriously
and has taken measures to improve the situation."
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