Chen Says Taiwan to Hold Referendum on March 20

[cthrumatrix]

Chen Says Taiwan to Hold Referendum on March 20

Reuters
Wednesday, December 10, 2003; 2:49 AM


TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian reiterated Wednesday that Taiwan would hold its first referendum on March 20, despite opposition from China and a blunt warning by President Bush.



Chen said at a news conference that the referendum would not be about independence nor would it change the status quo with China.

snip

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51617-2003Dec10?language=printer


Note....this is not about independence from China...but I saw in the news that he was not pleased with the rhetoric from *...so who knows.

[teryang]

1. The balance of power in east Asia is slipping

....due to the foolhardy involvement in the Iraq quagmire and other central and southwest Asian misadventures by the pro-oil, pro-defense contractor, pro-Israel cabal in the * regime.

The more deeply mired down we become, the less influence we will have in east Asia.

China's Taiwan strategy and N.Korean strategy are connected.

<U.S. officials are also concerned that tenser relations between China and Taiwan could affect the cooperation Washington is receiving from Beijing on encouraging North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program. >