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China Objects to Chen Shui-bian's Los Angeles Stop
China has objected to the United States a decision to let Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian make a transit stop in Los Angeles on August 13, Chinadaily reported on Friday.
"By giving this new Taiwan leader this comfortable treatment the United States in our view is sending out some wrong signals to the pro-independence forces in Taiwan," said Chinese embassy spokesman Zhang Yuanyuan.
The Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing and the embassy in Washington have made representations to the United States to express their opposition to the transit stop, he said.
A US State Department official said Chen, who came to power in March as the leader of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, would be on his way to the Caribbean to visit countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The US official argued that "Permission for transits by Taiwan senior leaders, for the safety, comfort and convenience of the traveller, is granted on a case-by-case basis.'' And, it is nothing new and is consistent with long-standing US policy, he said.
Chen Shui-bian will not have any meetings with US administration officials and the State Department does not expect him to take part in any public or news media events, he said.
But he will be met in Los Angeles by Richard Bush, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan. The institute handles unofficial US ties with Taiwan.
Zhang said Chinese Government objected especially strongly to Chen's transit stop because of his refusal to "embrace the one-China principle," which China regards as the basic principle in the relations between the Straits.
"Even if these transit stops have happened many times before, it does not mean we like that... We are sure that this will be used by the Taiwan side to promote their agenda," the embassy spokesman added.
When outgoing Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui visited his alma mater in New York in 1995, the mainland government retaliated by breaking off semi-official contacts.
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