Taiwan's president challenges China on eve of inauguration

May 17, 1996

Web posted at: 12:15 p.m. EDT (1615 GMT)

From Beijing Bureau Chief Andrea Koppel

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- In a bold move just days before his inauguration, Taiwan President Lee Teng-Hui directly challenged Beijing's "one China" policy, which claims Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China.

In fact, there is not one China but a divided China ruled by two distinct political systems, Lee said Friday in an exclusive interview with CNN. (Transcript)

"Mainland China now demands that all issues begin from the premise of so-called "one China" and Taiwan and the Republic of China simply do not exist, and Taiwan becomes a province of the PRC," Lee said through an interpreter. "This is a grave mistake. Historically there is no such explanation as this. We must understand that China is a divided nation ruled by two separate political entities." (298K AIFF or WAV sound)

Lee later added, "For there to be one China. China must be reunified. Without reunification, there is no such so-called one China, just the People's Republic of China and here we call it the Republic of China."

He said the 1979 joint communiqué, which to this day spells out the United States' China policy, is outdated, comparing it to a set of clothes outgrown by a child.

While his remarks are likely to rattle Beijing, Lee said he is not calling for independence from mainland China.

Instead, he said he continues to support conditional reunification with mainland China. Those conditions: that mainland China become a democracy and renounce use of force against Taiwan. Lee said he remains optimistic that China will eventually meet the conditions.

"The Chinese mainland is not beyond change. It would be difficult for the regime to keep things as they are. With 1.2 billion people, can a small minority of leaders control them? You think about it. Is it really possible?" (213K AIFF or WAV sound)

Reminded that China is not likely to meet his conditions for reunification in his lifetime, Lee responded, "If not in my generation, then in the next. Why not? We cannot simply surrender to bring about reunification. That is impossible right?"

Lee expressed his concern about what he called a new form of extreme nationalism in mainland China.

"Perhaps with the exception of Hitler's brand of nationalism, there has never been so emotional a version of nationalism as this," he said. (340K AIFF or WAV sound)

While not extending an olive branch, Lee did imply he would be willing to meet and talk with China's President Jiang Zemin, who, he said, would be more reasonable than younger Chinese who grew up during the radical Cultural Revolution.

During the wide-ranging interview, Lee also for the first time revealed a bit more of Taiwan's strategy to gain re-admission to the United Nations, another sore spot with Beijing, which took Taiwan's place in 1971. Lee says he has no plans to abandon his U.N. push and hopes a U.N. committee will help to recover Taiwan's membership.

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