Taiwan leader supports independence vote

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan's president said Saturday the island "is not someone else's province" but rather an independent country separate from China -- bold comments that risk enraging Taiwan's giant communist rival.

President Chen Shui-bian also repeated his support for a vote on whether Taiwan should seek a permanent split with China, suggesting the island amend its laws to allow such a referendum.

"Simply put, with Taiwan and China on each side of the (Taiwan) Strait, each side is a country. This needs to be clear," he said from his office during a video telecast to Taiwanese living in Japan.

"Our Taiwan is not something that belongs to someone else. Our Taiwan is not someone else's local government. Our Taiwan is not someone else's province."

China is extremely sensitive to any talk about Taiwanese independence or a referendum on the issue because Chinese leaders regard the island as an inseparable part of China. Taiwan has ruled itself since a civil war divided the two sides in 1949, but Beijing argues they must unify eventually or square off in a war.

China did not immediately provide an official reaction to Chen's speech.

Saturday's comments by Chen marked at least the second time in two weeks he has publicly discussed Taiwanese independence.

On July 21, he voiced impatience with Beijing's refusal to answer his calls for top-level talks to improve relations and said the island might "walk down our own Taiwanese road," an apparent high-stakes threat to formally declare independence.

Provoking China

His comments Saturday echo those made by his predecessor three years ago that drastically raised tensions with China. Former President Lee Teng-hui argued in July 1999 that Taiwan and China have a "special state-to-state" relationship.

Lee's statement infuriated China, which accused him of recklessly moving Taiwan toward independence. After some Chinese saber rattling and war games, Taiwan stopped mentioning Lee's "state-to-state" policy.

On Saturday, opposition leaders accused Chen of being like Lee and indulging in irresponsible, dangerous policy shifts. Some analysts also were confused about why Chen seemed to be poking China with such provocative comments.

Most Taiwanese are believed to oppose an immediate shift toward independence -- fearing that would trigger a war nullifying the island's economic progress -- but to support such a move in the long run.

Political analysts were perplexed by Chen's remarks, saying the speech likely would do little to improve relations between the sides.

Hsu Szu-chien, a professor of international relations at National Chengchi University, said Chen's comments "may just be a sign of how frustrated the president is."

Hsu noted that Chen's countless offers to sit down and talk with China's leaders have been rejected. The analyst also noted China's ongoing efforts to isolate Taiwan by stealing away the island's diplomatic allies.

Lu Ya-li, a political scientist at the elite National Taiwan University, said Chen probably believed he could get away with such provocative comments because Chinese leaders were preoccupied with a major leadership transition.

"He probably believes that it's impossible now for China to take any drastic measures," Lu said.

Also Saturday, China accused Washington of interfering in its Taiwan affairs by including the island among the countries where U.S. troops can move without restrictions even though those countries cooperate with the International Criminal Court.

The United States is not cooperating with the U.N.-sponsored court, saying it does not want U.S. citizens prosecuted by it for alleged violations of humanitarian law, including war crimes and genocide, anywhere in the world.

The U.S. legislation, signed Friday by President Bush, bars Washington from sending troops to countries cooperating with the international court. However, it exempts Taiwan, NATO members and other American allies.

The United States has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is its biggest weapons supplier. U.S. officials say Washington will do "whatever it takes" to help the island defend itself, and have talked recently about helping to improve its military training and weaponry.