Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

1) China silent on Taiwan election results

20 Mar 2004 13:24
BEIJING (Reuters) - China offered no immediate reaction on Saturday after rival Taiwan re-elected President Chen Shui-bian by a razor-thin margin in a contest immediately declared invalid by the opposition Nationalist candidate.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman declined to comment, referring all queries to the Taiwan Affairs Office. That office had no immediate comment, though one official said they were following the election closely on television and were holding a meeting.

A Chen victory was the worst-case scenario for Beijing, which is deeply suspicious of the Taiwan president's independence leanings and now may have to confront the prospect of dealing with him in office for a second four-year term.

China had said it did not care who won, but analysts say it clearly preferred the more moderate Lien Chan, the Nationalist candidate who swiftly declared the election unfair and demanded a recount.

Beijing considers self-governed Taiwan a part of China, and says it must be returned to the fold, by military force if necessary. The two sides have been bitter rivals since their split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

Beijing is also alarmed by Taiwan's first-ever referendum, championed by Chen.

The election-day ballot asked voters if Taiwan should beef up defences should China refuse to withdraw missiles it has aimed at the island, and whether it should hold talks with the mainland.

A final tally on the referendum, which China regards as a provocative step towards independence, would be released by about 10 p.m. (1400 GMT).

Most Chinese media carried no news of the Taiwan election, except for the semi-official China News Agency, which announced the counting of ballots had begun but gave no further reports.

China Central Television repeated Premier Wen Jiabao's March 14 comments opposing Taiwan independence and the referendum, and quoted experts as saying the international community had lined up against the referendum.



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