12-17-2003, 10:22 AM
<b>Chinese missile tests would be considered an attack: Taiwan</b>
Taiwan's leader has warned China not to test missiles near his island, saying such a move would be considered "an attack" that might trigger a vote by his people on sovereignty, a British newspaper reported on Wednesday.
President Chen Shui-bian's reported comments in the Financial Times marked an escalation in the heated rhetoric between the two rivals that split amid civil war 54 years ago.
Beijing wants Taiwan to unify and says moves toward independence could spark a war. The latest tensions stem from Chen's plans to hold a March 20 referendum that asks voters to demand that China stop pointing hundreds of missiles at Taiwan, just 160 kilometers off China's coast. Beijing has long feared that any referendum could lead to a vote on independence.
Last week, Washington said it opposed any moves by Taiwan or China to unilaterally change the status quo. Chen has argued that his March 20 vote wouldn't touch on sensitive sovereignty issues. But the Financial Times quoted Chen as saying that if China tests missiles near Taiwan again, the tests would be deemed a provocative act that could prompt him to expand the referendum issue. "Yes. Of course it (a missile test) is a provocation. Of course it is an attack," Chen was quoted as saying.
Taiwan's leader has warned China not to test missiles near his island, saying such a move would be considered "an attack" that might trigger a vote by his people on sovereignty, a British newspaper reported on Wednesday.
President Chen Shui-bian's reported comments in the Financial Times marked an escalation in the heated rhetoric between the two rivals that split amid civil war 54 years ago.
Beijing wants Taiwan to unify and says moves toward independence could spark a war. The latest tensions stem from Chen's plans to hold a March 20 referendum that asks voters to demand that China stop pointing hundreds of missiles at Taiwan, just 160 kilometers off China's coast. Beijing has long feared that any referendum could lead to a vote on independence.
Last week, Washington said it opposed any moves by Taiwan or China to unilaterally change the status quo. Chen has argued that his March 20 vote wouldn't touch on sensitive sovereignty issues. But the Financial Times quoted Chen as saying that if China tests missiles near Taiwan again, the tests would be deemed a provocative act that could prompt him to expand the referendum issue. "Yes. Of course it (a missile test) is a provocation. Of course it is an attack," Chen was quoted as saying.