Chinese in S. Africa Slam Taiwan's Lee Teng-hui

JOHANNESBURG, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Members of the Chinese community in South Africa have severely denounced Taiwan's Lee Teng-hui for his recent separatist remarks.

At a meeting in Johannesburg Friday night, people expressed indignation over Lee's comment last week that relations between China's mainland and Taiwan should be handled on a "state-to-state" basis.

Donald Wong, chairman of the Transvaal Chinese Association, said that Lee is pursuing his own political agenda. "We Chinese all over the world shall recognize that whatever Lee Teng-hui is trying to do is actually for his own personal agenda," he said.

Wong said: "If he (Lee) is looking for personal things, he should not sacrifice the Chinese nation as a whole," he said.

Yan Wenping, a businessman from Shanghai, told the meeting that Lee's remarks were the culmination of his separatist attempts. Yan said it is now clear that Lee is trying to split China even though by doing so he is definitely to be historically condemned.

Yan also denounced Lee for ignoring the fact that most countries in the world recognize Taiwan as part of China.
Chen Yinong, a scholar at the University of Witwatersrand, said he is not surprised at Lee's comment because Lee is desperate at the end of his office term.

Chen said that Lee's efforts to seek independence of Taiwan would be futile because the reunification of the motherland is a natural and logical development as China's national strength grows. The noise made by Lee will by no means change the historical trend, he said.