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From: C-afp@clari.net (AFP)
Newsgroups: clari.world.asia.china,clari.world.asia.taiwan,clari.world.gov.politics,clari.world.asia+oceania
Subject: China's premier renews calls for political talks with Taiwan
Organization: Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
Message-ID: <Qchina-taiwanURfuH_9FF@clari.net>
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Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 1:05:16 PST
ACategory: international
Slugword: China-Taiwan
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   BEIJING, Feb 15 (AFP) - Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji renewed calls  
on Monday for political negotiations on eventual reunification to 
begin with rival Taiwan, official media reported. 
   "Realizing the reunification of the motherland ... is the common  
aspiration of the whole nation and represents the fundamental 
interests of the entire Chinese people," Zhu told Chinese leaders at 
a gathering to celebrate the Lunar New Year. 
   Zhu extended a new year greeting to "compatriots" in Taiwan,  
Xinhua news agency reported. 
   "Under the principle of the 'peaceful reunification, and one  
country, two systems' ... we will earnestly handle work on Taiwan 
affairs and further increase cross-Straits personnel, economic and 
cultural  exchanges and cooperation," he said, adding China would 
continue to work towards direct transport and communications links 
across the Taiwan Strait. 
   Zhu said the "one country, two systems" principle had been  
comprehensively implemented in Hong Kong since its return to the 
motherland on July 1, 1997. 
   He pledged the central government would continue to offer full  
support to the Hong Kong government in administering the Special 
Administrative Region in accordance with the Basic Law -- the 
territory's mini-constitution. 
   His comments came amid a row between Beijing and Hong Kong over  
a ruling by the former British colony's Court of Final Appeal, 
granting right of abode to mainland children of Hong Kong 
residents. 
   China has criticised the ruling as unconstitutional, sparking  
fears that Hong Kong's much-vaunted judicial independence might be 
under threat. 
   Chinese New Year is traditionally a time for China's leaders to  
call for the "reunification of the motherland" as their thoughts 
turn to the concept of a unified Chinese nation. 
   Beijing has repeatedly called for Taiwan to unite with China  
under "one country, two systems" -- the formula under which Hong 
Kong's freewheeling capitalist system was guaranteed autonomy for 50 
years after the end of British rule. 
   In October last year, Taiwan envoy Koo Chen-fu and Chinese  
President Jiang Zemin held the highest-level meeting between the 
rival sides of the Taiwan Strait since they were divided in 1949. 
   But the encounter has yet to lead to any formal talks.  
   Chinese envoy Wang Daohan is scheduled to visit Taipei in April.  
ARATS said Wang would hold political and economic negotiations but 
the body's Taiwanese counterpart, Straits Exchange Foundationm has 
insisted no preconditions should be set. 
   Taiwan, which split from mainland China after a bitter civil  
war, says it will never reunify while the Communist Party remains in 
control on the mainland. 
  	   	

