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-MARCH, 1996- |
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China to hold missile tests off Taiwan
Chinese leader also lists economic goals
March 5, 1996 Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)
From Bureau Chief Andrea Koppel
BEIJING (CNN) -- Chinese Premier Li Peng promised a rosy socialist future to 3,000 delegates who packed China's Great Hall of the People Tuesday at the start of this year's National People's Congress.
However, in the opening speech, Li also hinted again at using military force against Taiwan if it declares independence.
Hours before Li spoke, China announced plans to test missiles off Taiwan on Friday in a controversial move that some analysts said could shut down ports on the self-governed island.
The Taiwanese foreign ministry called on the international community to take action against China for its "unbridled behavior."
News of the missile exercises caused Taipei stock prices to fall as nervous investors began selling, and gold dealers said hoarding might begin. Taiwanese residents living near the China mainland began stocking up on food in case the exercises escalate into a conflict.
In a two-hour speech, Li took a tough line on foreign affairs, attacking "unwise" U.S. policies toward China and Taiwan. China has regarded Taiwan as a renegade province since a civil war ended in 1949. It has threatened to recover the island by force if Taiwan opts for independence.
"We are in favor of and have consistently been working for peaceful reunification, but we shall not undertake to renounce the use of force," Li said.
Intimidation or safeguard?
China's week-long military exercises in waters off Taiwan will be the fourth since last summer when the island's president, Lee Teng-hui, made a controversial private visit to the United States. Beijing accuses Lee of paying lip-service to reunification while pursuing independence.
Analysts see the string of war games as an attempt to intimidate voters before Taiwan's presidential elections on March 23. Lee is the front-runner.
"It's my guess that several days before March 23rd, they will fire several missiles over Taiwan itself," predicts Peter Yu of Sun Yat-sen University.
Taiwan has warned of retaliation if a missile hits the island.
"If any of the missiles land within our 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, we will strike back immediately," said Defense Minister Chiang Chung-ling as quoted by a member of parliament. Lee sneered at Beijing, saying China was conducting the exercise because "it is afraid of (Taiwan's) first democratic presidential elections."
But China denies its aim is intimidation. The military exercises are "normal" and necessary to safeguard China's "territorial integrity," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang said.
Economic priorities
While the bulk of Li's speech focused on economics, he offered few specifics for reinvigorating industry and farming, reducing poverty or improving government. China aims to keep economic growth at 8 percent a year while holding inflation to single digits, Li said.
New five- and 15-year plans stress more development and reform, adopting technology, modernizing farming, repairing state-owned industries, opening world trade markets, wielding "macro-economic" control, easing regional differences and building "spiritual civilization."
Li repeated Beijing's pledges to tackle crime, corruption and inflation but, unlike past years, offered little in the way of bold new approaches.
Condolences for Israel
On Tuesday, Li sent condolences to Israel for the recent deaths caused by terrorists.
"On behalf of the government and people of China and in my own name I hereby express to you, and through you to the families of the victims, my condolences and consolation," Li said in a message to Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
"The Chinese government is deeply shocked by these terrorist activities and strongly condemns them," Li said.
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Taiwan: In China's shadow and in international spotlight
March 18, 1996 Web posted at: 10:45 p.m. EST (0345 GMT)
Taiwan, an island about 100 miles off the southeastern coast of China, has frequently found itself receiving international attention far out of proportion to its small size.
The leaf-shaped island, one of the most densely populated places on earth with 21 million people, is only about 245 miles long and 90 miles wide. It is dwarfed by mainland China, with a population of 1.2 billion.
For most of modern history, Taiwan was known in the West as Formosa, a name meaning "beautiful" that was given to it by Portuguese sailors.
After being ruled by mainland Chinese dynasties for more than 400 years, Taiwan was invaded alternately by the Dutch and Spaniards during the 17th century. By the end of the century, however, it had reverted to Chinese rule.
In 1895, after China lost the Sino-Japanese war, Taiwan was ceded to Japan. The Japanese ruled the island for 50 years -- until the end of World War II.
Following the Communist takeover of the mainland in 1949, Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek transplanted his government to Taiwan's capital, Taipei. Chiang's Nationalist Party, known as the Kuomingtang, or KMT, continued to insist it was the legitimate government of all of China.
Chiang's troops started coming to the island during the Chinese civil war. These "mainlanders" gained a reputation for treating the Taiwanese Chinese as a conquered people. Friction increased, and in February 1947, the mainlanders slaughtered thousands of Taiwanese.
The mainlanders and their descendants make up about 15 percent of the population but, until recently, completely dominated the government through election rules that kept them in power.
The Cold War spurred the United States to support Taiwan's fiercely anti-Communist government, which billed itself as "Free China." The two countries signed a mutual security pact in 1954.
In 1958, China launched an extensive artillery barrage against Quemoy and Matsu, two small islands controlled by Taiwan, close to the mainland. Taiwan's forces withstood the attack.
In 1971, Taiwan -- known as the Republic of China -- lost its seat in the United Nations to the mainland government, the People's Republic of China. It became increasingly isolated diplomatically. In 1979, the United States became the last major country to switch its recognition to Beijing. Today, only a handful of countries have diplomatic relations with Taipei. Both Taipei and Beijing insist that a country may only recognize one Chinese government.
Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975 and was succeeded by his vice president, Yen Chia-kan. Real power and control over Taiwan's government remained with the late leader's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, who was formally elected president in 1978 and again in 1984.
Chiang Ching-kuo began the process of liberalization in Taiwan by lifting martial law -- in effect since 1949 -- and lifting bans on travel to and from the mainland, although direct travel between China and Taiwan is still not allowed.
His successor, Lee Teng-hui, continued the process, lifting a 43-year state of emergency and technically ending four decades of unwaged "civil war" against the mainland.
Leaders from the mainland and the island held their first high-level talks in 1993, but relations have remained rocky as Taiwan seeks to forge its own identity and gain worldwide political acceptance.
Lee Teng-hui has been forced to walk a fine line between those who want complete independence from the mainland and those who seek reunification.
Discussion of Taiwan independence -- once considered an act of treason -- is now allowed, but it remains controversial. Taiwanese are more inclined to support such a move than are the mainlanders. But even many Taiwanese feel that the status quo is the safest course for the near future.
Mao Tse-tung, the leader of the revolution that pushed Chiang Kai-shek onto the island, from the start made no effort to hide his desire to bring the island back under the fold, saying at one point that he was willing to wait 100 years to do so.
Chinese Premier Li Peng has said that no matter what the outcome of the election, the island's voters "cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China and its leaders are only leaders of a region of China."
He has said he prefers a peaceful recovery of the island -- perhaps after China reclaims Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999 -- but also insists that China has "not forsworn the use of force."
Taiwan's current leaders still hope for eventual reunification, but only if China's communist system is abolished and the gap between the high standard of living in Taiwan and the relative poverty of the mainland is narrowed.
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Taiwan says China fired 3 missiles
March 7, 1996 Web posted at: 9:15 p.m. EST (0215 GMT)
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) - China began its planned week-long series of missile tests early Friday, firing three unarmed rockets into waters off Taiwan.
Taiwan's defense ministry said China fired three surface-to-surface guided missiles that fell off two busy Taiwanese ports less than 50 nautical miles from the island country's coast.
China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province, has said it will continue the missile tests until March 15.
Taiwan's military fortified its defenses in advance of the tests and has not ruled out retaliation if the missiles violate its territorial boundaries, including a 12-nautical mile fringe around its coast.
Friday's tests were China's third since June, but the missiles landed closer to the island than ever before.
The war games are widely viewed as an attempt to thwart Taiwan's forays toward independence and wither support for front-runner and incumbent president Lee Teng-hu. Taiwan plans to hold its first direct presidential elections on March 23.
Beijing accuses Lee of paying lip-service to reunification while pursuing independence. China began flexing its muscles across the narrow Taiwan Strait last summer when Lee paid a controversial, private visit to the United States.
China brushes off Taiwan elections
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Shen Guofang said China was attaching minimal importance to Taiwan's elections.
"No matter what happens in the elections, the fact remains that Taiwan is a part of China and Taiwan's leaders are but the leaders of a part of China," Shen said Thursday.
For the first time Thursday, China acknowledged that the purpose behind the tests is to intimidate Taiwan's pro-democracy forces. Earlier, China had claimed the tests were routine exercises.
"The current tension across the Taiwan straits has been entirely caused by the perverse acts of some leaders in Taiwan to preach an independent Taiwan," Shen said.
Shen nevertheless stressed that the tests were not directed against the Taiwanese people and tried to reassure them they were not in danger.
Criticizing the United States for encouraging Taiwan's pro-independence forces, Shen said the United States acted improperly in urging that the missile tests be called off.
"Actually, it is China who should be protesting, because the question of Taiwan is entirely China's internal affair, in which no other country has the right to interfere," he said.
U.S. calls tests 'reckless'
In Washington, the United States swiftly condemned the missile tests as "provocative and reckless."
The missile launches prompted heavy U.S. dollar and gold buying by nervous Taiwanese. In Japan, the Transport Ministry announced it was rerouting all commercial flights away from Taiwan.
Beijing is concerned that Taiwan is leaning away from eventual reunification with the mainland and toward independence.
The province has lived under a separate government since 1949, when Chinese Nationalists fled to Taiwan and built it into an offshore island fortress.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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China admits Taiwan intimidation
U.S. cites China, other nations for human rights abuses
March 7, 1996 Web Posted at: 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT)
From World Affairs Correspondent Ralph Begleiter
(CNN) -- China has acknowledged for the first time that the week of missile tests it plans to conduct near Taiwan beginning Friday are designed to intimidate and thwart the island's independence movement.
"The current tension across the Taiwan straits has been entirely caused by the perverse acts of some leaders in Taiwan to preach an independent Taiwan," Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang said Thursday.
"Grave consequences"
While Shen insists the tests are needed to safeguard China's "sovereignty and territorial integrity," Clinton administration National Security Adviser Anthony Lake calls them a "potentially reckless act."
Lake said there would be "grave consequences" if China were to attack Taiwan, or if something were to go wrong.
Nervous Taiwanese bought U.S. dollars heavily Thursday, with some customers seeking withdrawals of up to $500,000 in cash. Banks responded by setting a limit of $3,000 on each transaction, and rumors flew that the government might freeze foreign-currency deposit accounts to safeguard the economy. Brisk sales of gold also were reported.
China considers Taiwan a secessionist province. Chinese Nationalist rulers fled to the island in 1949 after Communist forces defeated them in a civil war.
The tests come as the U.S. prepares to deliver updated fighter jets to Taiwan, which holds its first direct presidential elections on March 23.
President Lee Teng-hui is expected to win ,despite China's attempts to frighten people away from voting for him.
Human rights: China
The military tensions are compounded by Washington's release of its annual "Human Rights" report, which cites China for "widespread and well-documented... abuses."
China itself reported more than 1,000 death sentences last year. The United States says the number is probably much higher.
The Clinton administration's 1994 China policy assumed that continued trade with China would lead to better human rights. But the 1995 human rights report suggests the theory is not working.
By the end of 1995, the U.S. charges, China had silenced "almost all public dissent" by intimidating, exiling or imprisoning dissenters. But punishing China through international isolation would only make the situation worse, insists John Shattuck, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights.
Human rights: Other nations
The Human Rights report -- used to justify U.S. decisions on trade and aid -- also criticizes President Boris Yeltsin's use of Russian forces against Russians in Chechnya and what the U.S. calls "reversals" in Yeltsin's human rights record.
Also criticized: Saudi Arabia, for more than tripling the number of beheadings last year, and Turkey, for using "excessive force" against its Kurdish minority.
Croatia and Serbia were singled out for human rights abuses ranging from arbitrary arrests to torture and killings of members of ethnic minorities.
Human rights improvements were noted in Bosnia, Haiti, Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. The report contains customary criticism of countries Washington calls "pariah" states, such as Libya, Iran and Iraq.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Nations condemn Chinese missile tests
March 8, 1996 Web posted at: 11:50 a.m. EST (1650 GMT)
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- International criticism mounted Friday against mainland China after it test-fired three ballistic missiles off Taiwan's coast.
The three Chinese ground-to-ground M-9 missiles that landed near two major Taiwanese ports are part of a weeklong missile testing program announced by the Chinese government on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Chinese acknowledged that the tests are designed to intimidate Taiwan as that country's first direct national presidential election approached.
The Chinese government contends that Taiwan is a renegade province of China, and it has accused Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui of supporting Taiwan's independence. Lee, the front-runner in the March 23 elections, has been walking fine line between Taiwanese who favor independence and those who favor reunification.
Campaigning in Taipei, Lee said that the testing was "just a show" and urged citizens not to worry.
The United States led the international criticism over the missile testing, with White House spokesman Mike McCurry calling China's actions "provocative and reckless." House Speaker Newt Gingrich also weighed in, saying that the missile tests were a "terrorist act."
State department spokesman Nicholas Burns warned China that there would be "consequences" if any missiles went astray.
U.S. National Security adviser Anthony Lake was scheduled to meet Friday with Liu Huaqui, the foreign affairs director of China's state council. The missile tests were to be a main topic in the discussions.
China responded angrily to the U.S. reaction, saying that the missile tests were not the business of other countries.
"Actually it is China who should be protesting," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Shen Guofang, "because the question of Taiwan is entirely China's internal affair, in which no other country has the right to interfere."
Chinese foreign minister Quan Qichen said that Taiwan "should not panic" over the missile tests, but said that a "real disaster" was possible if Taiwan pursued independence from China.
Leaders in Japan and Hong Kong added their voices against the testing, however. A group of religious, civic and political leaders in Hong Kong urged peaceful reunification, saying that the missile tests had "frightened many people," and in Japan, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said the tests were "in an unfortunate direction."
The European Union also condemned the firing, saying that the tests "could lead to further tension in the region."
The statement from the EU's foreign ministry called on China to "refrain from activities which could have negative effects on the security of the entire region."
Taiwan's 400,000 member military has been on full alert since Tuesday, when China announced two target sites the for missile testing, which is to be concluded on March 15. Both sites are within 50 nautical miles of busy port cities.
Two of Friday's missiles struck about 48 miles west of Kaohsiung, and the third near Keelung off the northern coast. Kaohsiung and Keelung handle nearly 70 percent of Taiwan's port activity. The ports remained open.
Taiwan's Defense Minister, Chiang Chung-lin, threatened retaliation if China's missiles struck within Taiwan's territorial waters, although he stressed that such an action was "not our bottom line."
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China steps up pressure on Taiwan with military drills
March 9, 1996 Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)
Beijing Bureau Chief Andrea Koppel and Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- In a move that is sure to be seen as an escalation of efforts to intimidate Taiwan, the Chinese government announced Saturday plans to begin military exercises with live ammunition next week in waters of the southwestern coast of Taiwan.
At their closest point, the live-fire drills that are scheduled to start Tuesday will be just 33 miles from the Taiwan-held Pescadore islands. The Chinese say they'll last until March 20.
For the sake of safety, other countries have been asked to notify ships and aircraft not to enter the designated sea area and airspace during the tests.
The announcement came just a day after China test-fired three apparently unarmed ballistic missiles off Taiwan's coast. They landed near two Taiwanese ports.
The joint naval and air force exercises could be more dangerous than the missile tests because the government said live ammunition will be used.
State-run Chinese television broadcast a map on the Saturday evening news showing the area of the military exercises. It appeared to cover the southern entrance of the Taiwan strait and include an area southwest of Taiwan's port of Kaohshiung, where ground-to-ground missiles landed on Friday.
Large military maneuvers have been anticipated for several weeks. Intelligence reports from Taiwan and elsewhere have reported the buildup of as many as 150,000 Chinese People's Liberation Army troops in southeastern China, the area that faces Taiwan.
Taiwan's 400,000-member military has been on full alert since China announced the missile testing.
Maneuvers tied to elections
China's military exercises are to end just three days before voters in Taiwan go to the polls.
Bejing views the national elections as a further move toward independence by an island it sees as renegade province. Taiwan denies it is seeking full independence but rejects Chinese efforts to infringe on its democratic system or relations with the international community.
In an interview with CNN earlier this week, a Chinese government official indicated China's military activities are meant to send a strong warning to Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui and his supporters. China believes Lee, who is the front-runner in the election, favors independence.
Lee said Saturday that China's plan to hold war games near the island will not interfere with the March 23 election.
"I want to emphasize that force and threats will not obstruct our pursuit of democracy, freedom and dignity," Lee said in a televised address.
The latest maneuvers have sent jitters through Taiwan's stock market and threaten to damage the island's economy. China Trade Minister Wu Yi Saturday blamed the economic repercussions of military tests and exercises on Lee, not China.
U.S. eyes military moves
The United States, which has expressed outrage over the missile tests, is watching China closely.
For now, the U.S. military is keeping a low profile, monitoring the missile tests with Air Force surveillance planes and Navy cruisers and destroyers.
Using sophisticated radar on the Aegis Cruiser USS Bunker Hill, which is cruising just south of Taiwan, the U.S. Navy tracked the Chinese missiles as they landed close to two of Taiwan's key seaports.
"The danger is that if the firing had any malfunctions at all, that some parts of the missile could have landed on populated areas," said U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry.
Pentagon sources say the United States is considering a stronger signal: sending some warships through the Taiwan strait. But no decision will be made until China ends its present round of exercises.
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U.S. sends warning to China with warships
March 10, 1996 Web posted at: 10:50 p.m. EST (0350 GMT)
From Correspondent Jeanne Meserve
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As China continues missile tests and gets ready for war games in the Taiwan Strait, the United States is sending a strong message by moving an aircraft carrier battle group into the area.
"We're concerned to make sure that those forces, that carrier battle group, are in a position to helpful if they need to be. They'll be moved somewhat closer to Taiwan in future days," U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
China announced this weekend it will carry out eight days of air and sea exercises with live ammunition in the Taiwan Strait starting Tuesday. This follows missile tests by the Chinese off Taiwan's coast on Friday.
The actions have escalated tensions between China and Taiwan, which is holding a presidential election March 23.
Pentagon sources told CNN the USS Independence has been in the East China Sea for almost a week as close as a few hundred miles from Taiwan.
It would be difficult, sources said, to get much closer to Taiwan without entering the strait itself, and no decision has been made to do that.
National Security Adviser Anthony Lake warned against reading too much into the ship movements.
"We will be moving our naval assets to the area to make sure that we can avoid any miscalculation by the Chinese," he said. "I would prefer not to go into operational detail, but I would not assume that it's into the straits."
U.S. naval vessels have traversed the strait before. In December, the aircraft carrier Nimitz moved through the waters to avoid bad weather and heavy seas elsewhere.
Chinese war games are scheduled to start Tuesday in a area of the Taiwan Strait very close to international shipping lanes. The Chinese have issued warnings to stay away from a 6,000-square-mile zone of activity. It is unclear whether there will be much disruption of shipping, but the presence of Chinese forces using live ammunition is clearly a concern.
"The security of that region is very important to the United States," said U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright. "The actions the Chinese are taking are considered reckless and risky."
James Lilley, former U.S. Ambassador to China, said the decision to increase U.S. presence near Taiwan is an appropriate response to war games and missile tests meant to intimidate Taiwan's leaders before the national elections.
"I hope that we are giving the Chinese the very strong message ... that this is a very bad move on their part that can have all sorts of repercussions, not only in the United States, but in all of Asia and the world," Lilley said.
The U.S. Navy is also beefing up its forces in the Taiwan area. The guided missile destroyer USS Hewitt and the frigate USS McClusky joined the Independence group this weekend.
Pentagon sources told CNN there would be no attempt to move through the Taiwan Strait until after China ends its missile tests in the area on March 15.
But the Chinese war games aren't scheduled to end until March 23, leaving open the possibility that American and Chinese warships could find themselves operating in very close quarters.
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U.S. sends more ships toward Taiwan
Maneuvers said to be precautionary
March 11, 1996 Web posted at: 8:55 p.m. EST (0155 GMT)
From Correspondent Steve Hurst
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Stepping up its war of nerves with China, the United States is sending a second aircraft carrier group to keep watch as Beijing launches air and sea maneuvers off Taiwan.
The carrier Independence is in the region already, and the nuclear-powered Nimitz is to arrive next week from the Arabian Sea. U.S. officials called the moves precautionary and said they do not think China intends to attack Taiwan.
On Saturday, China announced plans to carry out eight days of air and sea exercises with live ammunition in the Taiwan Strait starting Tuesday. China held missile tests off Taiwan's coast Friday.
China has acknowledged its actions are intended to discourage an independence movement in Taiwan, which will hold presidential elections March 23.
Officials say real threat unlikely
Secretary of State Christopher warned of grave but unspecified consequences should China take its military exercises too far.
"It's clear to us that the Chinese government understands the magnitude and the impact that any kind of attack would have on China's relations with the rest of the world," he said. "It's clear to us that the Chinese understand what the stakes are and we do not believe that the Chinese intend to take this action."
The lack of a real military threat was echoed by top military brass.
"We do not believe China plans to attack Taiwan. We do not expect a military conflict there," said Secretary of Defense William Perry.
Taiwan reacts quietly
The people of Taiwan, long accustomed to an ongoing war of words with the mainland, are seeing the exercises as something a little stronger than what they've seen in the past.
While Taiwan is for the most part ignoring the Chinese aggression, soldiers spent Monday preparing for the exercises along the coast, and air and sea lanes have been re-routed during the exercises.
The maneuvers have also sent jitters through Taiwan's economy, prompting many to withdraw their savings or convert their cash holdings into other currencies.
U.S. officials hope their military presence will ease tensions between China and Taiwan.
"We want our actions to help calm the situation," said State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns. "We want the situation to return to a state where these problems that obviously exist can be discussed peacefully and constructively."
Chinese diplomats offer reassurances
The exercises prompted a meeting on Capitol Hill between Chinese diplomats and U.S. senators.
The diplomats said China is sending a message to Taiwan that perceived moves toward independence are unacceptable, said Sen. Bennett Johnston, D-Louisiana, who participated in the meeting. The diplomats also assured the senators that China does not intend to attack Taiwan.
U.S. concern over Taiwan is a mixture of economics, diplomacy, and history. As missiles are fired and the island comes under intimidation, U.S. officials become ever more aware of the volume of trade with Taipei.
By law Washington is directed to view with "grave concern" any military threats to the increasingly democratic government on Taiwan that has evolved there since the Nationalist Chinese of Chang Kai-shek fled the mainland after loosing to Mao Tse-tung's communists in 1949.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, prompting Congress to pass the Taiwan Relations Act, which promises the United States' will show grave concern over the ongoing Chinese belligerence.
Strategic thinkers in Washington call the current crisis over Taiwan the worst since 1958, when the Chinese were firing on the island of Quemoy nearby. But it's not just the here-and-now bothering policy makers; it's the future as well. China looms large with policy planners as the United States' biggest problem abroad.
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China fires another missile
Tense U.S. monitors war games off Taiwan
March 12, 1996 Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. EST (0230 GMT)
CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- Pentagon sources said China fired a fourth missile Wednesday in the Strait of Taiwan. The White House called the continued test-firings "reckless" and stood ready for possible action should a missile go awry.
Sources said the latest missile landed in the South China Sea off the southern port of Kaohsiung between 5 and 6 p.m. EST. The type of missile was believed to be an M-9 with a dummy warhead.
China fired three unarmed missiles on Friday, and Tuesday began what it's calling "live fire" air and naval exercises. The SCUD-like M-9s came close to Taiwan's key seaports.
White House spokesman James Fetig said the United States is "deeply disturbed by this provocative act."
"We continue to believe that these tests are reckless and increase tensions in the Taiwan Straits," Fetig said in a statement Wednesday.
"We have previously put China on notice that it will be held responsible for any actions that occur during these tests. We continue to urge both China and Taiwan to exercise caution and restraint," he said.
China has acknowledged that the exercises are intended to sway Taiwan away from pursuing independence.
U.S. worried about errors.
U.S. military and intelligence sources say the first day of the exercises amounted to roughly 15 to 20 ships and a few dozen planes firing shells and other ammunition at targets.
The Pentagon said the maneuvers -- in a 60- by 90-mile zone -- are similar to exercises conducted in August, and have caused only minor disruption to shipping and air traffic in the Taiwan Strait.
But as the exercises progress, U.S. officials are starting to worry.
Wednesday's resumption of missile fire was the most dramatic of the maneuvers and an impressive show of force.
"I think that the Chinese have achieved their objective in displaying a missile with a high degree of accuracy and one that is very hard to neutralize," said Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska.
State Department spokesman Glyn Davies said that there is an increased likelihood that things could go wrong -- and quickly.
"Ordinance can go astray. There's shipping in that area, very important commercial shipping. There are 21 million people on the island of Taiwan. We're very concerned, obviously, that there be no accidents," he said.
Washington has warned of "grave consequences" in the case of an accident, and is assembling an armada of a dozen U.S. warships, including two U.S. aircraft carriers in the waters near Taiwan.
"We're operating in international waters, conducting normal training, some 200 miles east of Taiwan, so we've not been directly observing those operations," said Rear Adm. James Ellis, aboard the USS Independence.
But sources said the U.S. message to China is clear: don't overplay your hand. For Taiwan, too, there is a message: The U.S. will back you -- to a point.
U.S. tells Taiwan's president: Cool it
Sources said U.S. diplomats are telling Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui, who is seen by China as seeking independence, to cool it.
"There have been signs from Mr. Lee, particularly in recent days -- despite the fact that he is in a political campaign -- that he is not for independence, that he wishes for reunification, albeit at a very gradual pace, and that he's ready to try to resume dialog with Beijing," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord.
Sources said that behind the gunboats is some quiet diplomacy aimed at convincing China that its actions are counter-productive and that Taiwan too, could be less provocative.
Beijing has said it will continue the tests until March 15.
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Pentagon: China fires another missile
Live-fire exercises under way in Taiwan Strait
March 12, 1996 Web posted at: 6:40 p.m. EST (2340 GMT)
CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre
WASHINGTON (CNN) --
Pentagon sources said Wednesday that China had fired a fourth missile in the Taiwan Strait as part of its sea and air live-fire exercises.
Sources say the missile landed in the South China Sea between 5 and 6 p.m. EST. The type of missile was believed to be an M-9.
On Friday, China launched three M-9 intermediate-range missiles.
Chinese warships and at least 10 planes took part in the military exercise, which began around noon Tuesday local time, according to the Taiwan Defense Ministry.
The large-scale military exercise was to involve air-to-air, air-to-sea, sea-to-air and sea-to-sea missile and cannon firings as well as anti-submarine practice. The exercise remained within its designated area, the Taiwan Defense Ministry said.
Tuesday's war games by China complement missile tests near vital Taiwan ports that began last Friday and are due to end on March 15. The war games are scheduled to end March 20, three days before Taiwan's first direct presidential election.
China staged the exercise despite the presence of one of the largest U.S. armadas in the region since the Vietnam War.
The Chinese government declined to charge the United States with direct interference, something China has said could lead it to invade Taiwan.
"I can well recall the history of the American Civil War, the war between the North and the South," said Shen Guofang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman. "At the time, the Americans were also against outside interference."
The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Independence is currently in the region, and the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz is to arrive next week from the Arabian Sea in what U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord said was a move to "reassure our friends in the area that we have a big stake in the stability and peace of that region."
Taiwan prepares for war games
Some Taiwan residents fear China's activities are more than an exercise -- that they are, in fact, a rehearsal for China aggression.
For the past few days on islands between Taiwan and the mainland, the Taiwanese military has stepped up its defense. Troops have stockpiled ammunition and outposts along the coastline are now manned with soldiers monitoring Chinese movements.
There is good reason for the Taiwanese military to be nervous. China has said its military maneuvers are intended to pressure Taiwan into giving up its attempts to break out of its diplomatic isolation, which Beijing sees as the start of a drive for independence. Furthermore, China has massed more than 150,000 troops, a flotilla of ships and at least 300 airplanes in the region.
"Our best hope is that this will not turn into an accident which may lead to real conflict between mainland China and Taiwan. That will be a tragedy," said Jason Hu, a Taiwanese government spokesman.
China's foreign minister offered to call off the war games Monday if Taiwan agreed to withdraw its request for a seat in the United Nations, a concession, Hu said, Taiwan is not ready to make.
Hu said giving in to China's demands now could hurt Taiwan in the long run: "What if they hold another war game and ask for something else, are we going to give in again?"
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Taiwan president vows to defend his people
March 13, 1996 Web posted at: 11:15 a.m. EST (1615 GMT)
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui vowed to protect his people from Chinese aggression Wednesday, saying Taiwan would repulse an attack if necessary.
"The president to be elected should love and take care of the citizens, just like Matsu," said Lee, comparing himself to the Chinese goddess who died trying to save others.
Lee, the front-runner in Taiwan's first direct presidential election on March 23, said such protection would not come "just by saying some nice words," hinting that force may be used.
Lee's promise to thwart an attack was backed by a senior marine official who said "all ships" would be mobilized to protect the island's territorial waters against an intrusion.
And while tension between China and Taiwan continues, American fighter jets practiced air intercepts and bombing runs around the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
A steady stream of F-14s and F-18s took off 13 at a time on 90-minute flights from the USS Independence, a U.S. aircraft carrier about 200 miles off the east coast of Taiwan. The missions continued day and night.
China, meanwhile, staged war games for the second day within a 6,600-square-mile rectangle that stretches to the mid-point of the Taiwan Strait.
More than 30 groups of Chinese warplanes and at least 10 warships participated in the live-fire exercises, according to Taiwan's defense ministry.
The ministry said the Chinese maneuvers included various types of bombers and jet fighters -- including the Sukhoi Su-27 purchased from Russia.
Outside the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, demonstrators protested the live-fire exercises.
Earlier Wednesday, China fired an unarmed M-9 ballistic missile into a targeted area off Taiwan's southwest coast.
China has mobilized 150,000 troops in coastal Fujian province close to Taiwan for the live-fire drills, along with four submarines, at least 10 navy ships and 300 warplanes, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.
The war games are scheduled to end March 20, three days before Taiwan's presidential elections. Missile exercises, which began last Friday, are to end Friday.
China has said the exercises are intended to intimidate Taiwan's 21 million residents before the island's elections, which Beijing fears could encourage an independence drive.
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Pentagon sources say China intensifying military exercises
March 13, 1996 Web posted at: 10:10 p.m. EST (0310 GMT)
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- U.S. defense sources said up to 150 Chinese planes and 15 to 20 ships participated in "live-fire" exercises in the strait of Taiwan Wednesday.
They said the next phase could be an amphibious mock-assault on a coastal island.
China has fired four missiles into waters off Taiwan since Friday. Chinese officials have acknowledged that the exercises are aimed at discouraging an independence movement in Taiwan ahead of its March 23 presidential election.
Warplanes of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Independence, which is stationed off Taiwan's eastern coast, have been staging 90-minute patrols in the area.
Though no one is predicting war will break out, Taiwan wasn't taking chances and was already preparing emergency shelters and refurbishing a series of tunnels built by the Japanese in 1940 that could be used if Taipei comes under military attack.
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Ships of the U.S. Taiwan deployment
March 13, 1996 Web posted at: 7:10 a.m. EST (1210 GMT)
(CNN) -- The following U.S. ships are being deployed to waters near China-Taiwan region to monitor China's war games, which are scheduled to continue through March 15:
-- The aircraft carrier USS Independence (CV-62)
Home port: Yokosuka, Japan
Crew: more than 5,000, including airwing
Aircraft: more than 90, including about 55 combat
aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornets, F-14 Tomcats,
A-6E Intruders, EA-6B Prowlers, S-3A Vikings (anti-
submarine), and E-2C Hawkeyes (early warning aircraft)
Class: Forrestal (fossil-fuel powered)
-- The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
Home port: Bremerton, Washington
Crew: more than 5,200, including airwing
Aircraft: more than 90, including about
55 combat aircraft (see flight wing for Independence above)
Class: Nimitz (nuclear powered)
-- The Aegis cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG-52)
Home port: Yokosuka, Japan
Crew: 358
Weapons: Tomahawk cruise missile capability,
harpoon and standard missiles, two 5 inch guns,
two phalanx, six torpedo tubes.
Class: Ticonderoga (state of the art electronic warfare ship)
-- The Aegis cruiser USS Port Royal (CG-73)
Home port: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Same specs as the Bunker Hill
(Newest Aegis in the fleet - first deployment)
Class: Ticonderoga
-- The destroyer USS Oldendorf (DD-972)
Home port: San Diego, California
Crew: 339
Weapons: Tomahawk, harpoon, and Sea Sparrow
missiles; one phalanx; two five inch guns;
two triple torpedo tubes; and two 54 caliber guns
Class: Spruance
-- The destroyer USS Callaghan (DDG-994)
Home port: San Diego, California
Crew: 341
Weapons: Harpoon and standard missiles, two
Phalanx, two five inch guns, two triple torpedo tubes
Class: Kidd
-- The destroyer USS Hewitt (DD-966)
Home port: Yokosuka, Japan
Crew: 339
Weapons: Tomahawk, harpoon and Sea Sparrow
missiles, two phalanx; two five inch guns;
two triple torpedo tubes
Class: Spruance
-- The frigate USS Ford (FFG-54)
Home port: Long Beach, California
Crew: 209
Weapons: Harpoon and standard missiles, one Phalanx, six
torpedo tubes, one 76mm gun
Class: Oliver Hazard Perry
-- The frigate USS McClusky (FFG-41)
Home port: Yokosuka, Japan
Crew: 209
Weapons: Harpoon, standard missiles, one 76mm gun,
one phalanx, six torpedo tubes
Class: Oliver Hazard Perry
-- The submarine USS Portsmouth (SSN-707)
Home port of San Diego, California
Crew: 133
Weapons: Tomahawk, harpoon missiles, 12 vertical
launch missile tubes, four torpedo tubes, Mk-48 torpedoes
Class: Los Angeles nuclear attack submarine
-- The oiler USS Willamette (AO-180)
Home port: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Crew: 219
Weapons: Two Phalanx weapons systems
Class: Cimarron
-- The ammunition ship USS Shasta (AE-33)
Home port: Concord, California
Crew: 407
Weapons: Two phalanx and four three-inch guns
Class: Kilauea
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Tunnels would house city government
March 13, 1996 Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)
From Correspondent Tom Mintier
TAPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- Beneath Tapei's national museum, workmen are making preparations for war, converting a network of tunnels into what would become Tapei's city government offices should war break out.
The intricate web of tunnels, built by the Japanese in 1940 and capable of holding more than 2,700 people, also would serve as the homes for city officials should tensions between China and Taiwan escalate to all-out war.
In recent days, maintenance crews have ensured emergency generators are working, and have checked out telephone and electric circuits. The tunnel walls are freshly painted, and concrete benches line the sides. Small signs indicate each city department and several rooms are set up as communications centers, with red telephones already sitting on tables.
A smaller tunnel filled with wires leads outside where a large antenna sits hidden among trees. Workers are using the antenna to install a new radio system for the tunnels.
The city water supply runs to the tunnels, and a massive underground storage tank is readily available if the city's water were to get cut off.
Across town, a similar network of tunnel exists.
The tunnels have not been used since Japanese troops occupied the area in the 1940s. City officials say there is no immediate plan to use the shelter, but they want to make sure it is ready should the need arise.
Elsewhere in Taipei, other precautions are being taken.
At the regional air traffic control center, commercial air traffic is being diverted away from the area and pilots are being monitored closely to make sure they don't stray off course into Chinese missile test areas.
Large red boxes on radar light up to show the restricted live-fire military zones. Smaller squares on the screens indicate where Chinese M-9 missiles are expected to land.
"We reroute all the aircraft to ... Hong Kong to avoid that exercise area," said Louis Yian of the Taipei Area Control Center.
Overall, more than 300 commercial flights are being diverted each day. The flights jog 15 miles off their regular course, amounting to two minutes of flight time.
The flight diversions are expected to continue until March 20, the date China has said its military exercises will end.
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China announces more military maneuvers near Taiwan
March 15, 1996 Web posted at: 12:15 p.m. EST
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China ended eight days of missile tests off the coast of Taiwan Friday, and immediately announced a new series of military exercises even closer to islands controlled by Taiwan.
The new exercises will consist of ground, naval and air maneuvers in the Strait of Taiwan from March 18-25 -- meaning the exercises will be going on during Taiwan's first direct presidential elections on March 23.
China also began live-fire military war games in the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, planning to continue them until March 20.
Chinese television, calling the missile tests a success, aired videotape of missile launches on Friday.
In Washington, White House spokesman Mike McCurry said the United States considers it significant that the missile tests ended earlier than expected.
"We hope this will lead to an easing of tensions," he said. But the fact that China has extended its military exercises until after Taiwan's election is "not coincidental," he said.
China has repeatedly said its military maneuvers and missile tests are no threat to Taiwan or neighboring countries. But Chinese government officials have acknowledged that the exercises are intended to dampen a push, within Taiwan, for independence from China.
And a joint editorial, to be published Saturday by China's Army Daily the Communist Party's People's Daily, warned Taiwan "not to risk danger in desperation and act against the trend of the times."
"We should never allow one single inch of land to be split off our motherland's territory," the editorial said.
The editorial also warned "some foreign 'meddlers" -- an apparent reference to the United States, which has sent Navy ships into the area -- "not to interfere in China's internal affairs."
China considers Taiwan a renegade province, to be recaptured by force if necessary. It accuses Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, expected to win next week's elections, of discarding the goal of reunification. Lee has denied that he wants Taiwan to be independent.
Lee is a member of the Nationalist Party, which fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communists on the mainland. The Nationalist government in Taipei also considers Taiwan to be a province of China, but claims it -- not the government in Beijing -- is the legitimate one.
The exercises that begin Monday will take place 11 miles north of Taiwan's Wuchiu island, a closed military island, and 11 miles south of islets in the Matsu cluster. The Taiwan military, on heightened alert since last week, practiced repelling an invasion in one of Matsu's harbors. That training session was accompanied by a civilian air raid drill.
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China asserts right to attack Taiwan if necessary
March 16, 1996 Web posted at: 11:20 a.m. EST (1620 GMT)
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China denied Saturday ever telling the United States it would not attack Taiwan, saying it reserves the right to reclaim Taiwan by force if necessary.
"China has never promised to give up the use of force, though of course this is not directed at the Taiwan compatriots, " Chinese state radio quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang as saying.
China ended missile tests this week in the Taiwan Strait but is continuing military exercises. Friday it announced a new round of military exercises overlapping with maneuvers that began Tuesday.
As late as Thursday the Clinton administration reported receiving assurances from Beijing that China did not intend to attack the island but merely discourage a move for independence prior to Taiwan's March 23 elections.
There was no immediate response from the Clinton administration on China's latest position. The United States military continues to monitor China's show of strength.
China's assertion of its right to use force against Taiwan does not necessarily contradict what Chinese diplomats have told U.S. officials regarding the current exercises. China appears to be saying it has not changed its overall policy towards Taiwan -- that if Taiwan should seek independence, China would use any means to prevent it.
"Peaceful reunification and 'one country, two systems,' is our basic policy toward Taiwan. There has been no change," Shen said. "But in the circumstance of Taiwan's independence or its invasion by foreign forces, China will certainly take all necessary measures to protect the motherland's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
China considers Taiwan a renegade province, to be recaptured by force if necessary. It accuses Taiwan President Lee Teng- hui, expected to win next week's elections, of discarding the goal of reunification. Lee has denied that he wants Taiwan to be independent but has been seeking a more high-profile role for Taiwan in the international community.
Lee is a member of the Nationalist Party, which fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communists on the mainland. The Nationalist government in Taipei also considers Taiwan to be a province of China, but claims it -- not the government in Beijing -- is the legitimate one.
Taiwan bristles at Chinese aggression
A Taiwan official told China Saturday to cease military maneuvers at once.
"We demand that the Chinese Communists stop the military exercises right away," said Chang King-yu, chairman of the government's policy-making Mainland Affairs Council. "This kind of military intimidation is going to hamper the development of relations."
Taiwan's officials continue to express confidence that China has no plans to invade Taiwan. Still it evacuated civilians from a tiny island in the Taiwan Strait near where the next round of military exercises is to occur. The 500 Taiwanese troops stationed on Wuchiu island are to remain for the present. About 150 residents of the Matsu island group, north of the military exercise zone, voluntarily evacuated their homes near where Taiwan held defensive military exercises Friday.
In Taipei Saturday, some 20,000 Taiwanese protested China's military maneuvers. It was the largest such protest since China announced plans March 5 to conduct missile tests near Taiwan.
Chanting "Taiwan independence" and "No reunification with China," the protesters marched through the streets of Taipei. The march was organized by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party which supports independence from China. Frank Hsieh, DPP's candidate for vice president, said Saturday Taiwan should not let China dictate its policies. "We cannot dance to China's tune," Hsieh said.
DPP's presidential candidate Peng Ming-min is the leading challenger to President Lee, whose Nationalist party says it supports eventual reunification with China.
Hong Kong feels ripples of military exercises
In Hong Kong, the British colony set to revert to Chinese control next year, a Beijing spokesman said Saturday that residents should not be concerned over China's military exercises near Taiwan.
Only those contemplating independence in Hong Kong or Taiwan have reason to worry, said Zhang Junsheng, a spokesman for Xinhua News Agency, which serves as China's de facto embassy in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong officials in Washington urged the United States to exercise restraint in its policy toward China and Taiwan. The officials meeting in Washington to boost trade between Hong Kong and the United States said the Clinton administration should not bend from its position of recognizing only mainland China.
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It's business as usual aboard U.S. carrier monitoring Taiwan situation
March 16, 1996 Web posted at: 11:45 a.m. EST (1645 GMT)
From Correspondent May Lee
ABOARD USS INDEPENDENCE (CNN) -- There are no signs of trouble and no indications of tensions off the east coast of Taiwan. It is a calm situation that the USS Independence hopes to maintain. The giant aircraft carrier and its warship group have been monitoring the waters near Taiwan since March 9. Although China views military moves by the United States as interference in its national affairs, the U.S. Navy has a very different interpretation.
"What is our purpose here? It is not to bully or intimidate," said Rear Adm. James Ellis, commander of the Battle Force Seventh Fleet "We're here to monitor the on-going exercises. The Chinese themselves have said that's a normal function. That's not intimidating at all. We are in international waters ... We're hundreds of miles from Taiwan -- nowhere near the areas of live fire exercises."
Instead, the crew members aboard the Independence are conducting their own exercises.
About 80 sorties are flown every day. The drills are routine, nothing out of the ordinary. Three times a week, emergency exercises are carried out on board regardless of the situation.
"We fly every day, train every day just like we do it we're here or anyplace else in the world. It doesn't matter," said one sailor.
Even in the tactical flag command center, where entire regions are mapped out and strategies are formulated accordingly, it's business as usual.
As routine as everything seems, however, there is a tinge of disappointment on board.
After being out to sea for 30 days the USS Independence was headed back to its home port in Japan, but the tensions in the Taiwan Strait forced an abrupt change in plans.
And with China's plans to extend its military exercises those plans will have to stay on hold indefinitely.
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In Taiwan, they try not to worry over war games
March 17, 1996 Web posted at: 10:25 p.m. EST (1525 GMT)
From Correspondent Tom Mintier
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- Just looking at the headlines in Sunday's newspapers was enough to make anyone in Taiwan nervous. "Everyone moved for fear of the bomb," cries one headline. "Residents cry leaving hometown," says another.
Two small islands with 300 residents have been evacuated, but on the streets of Taipei there was no sense of tension over China's military maneuvers in the Strait of Taiwan. People were doing what they normally do on a Sunday.
For the past 10 days, the people of Taiwan have been bombarded with stories in the newspaper and shows on television with every minute detail of the Chinese military exercises. One might expect them to be extremely nervous at a time like this, but that's not necessarily so.
At Taipei's weekend flower market, shoppers were not looking for bomb shelter supplies or stocking up on rice. They were buying plants and flower boxes. They were smiling and having a good time. There was no bunker mentality here.
Landscaper Luo Yu-Lin was reading about the Chinese threat in his newspaper but said he feels there is nothing to worry about.
"Middle class people," he said, "are not concerned about this thing. What can we do? But people in high level, in the government, maybe they worry."
No one is sure what will happen with China, and most of the people interviewed on the streets of Taipei Sunday were not worried.
"Mainland China just wants to threaten us, " said one man. "They don't want war."
"The whole situation doesn't worry me," said one woman. "I think it's the process of developing democracy."
One man was worried, not about China but about the United States sending warships to Taiwan.
"We don't want American military power getting involved in Taiwan's problems," he said.
But most people at the flower market were more concerned over whether their orchids would bloom or which goldfish would look good in the aquarium at home.
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U.S. cautious on China's warning
March 17, 1996 Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. EST (0230 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Clinton administration responded cautiously Sunday to a warning from China to steer clear of the Taiwan Strait -- the 90-mile-wide body of water separating the western coast of Taiwan from the Chinese mainland.
U.S. naval forces are monitoring Chinese war games from a post about 200 miles off the eastern coast of Taiwan.
Chinese Premier Li Peng warned international powers Sunday not to deploy its naval fleet into the Taiwan Strait, saying such an act would aggravate tensions between China, Taiwan and the United States.
"If some people attempt to stage a show of force in the Taiwan Strait, this would be no help. On the contrary, it would aggravate and complicate the situation," Li said in a news conference after being asked how China would respond if U.S. ships entered the strait.
"The Chinese government will in no way accept the practice of one country imposing its views on another," he added.
White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta avoided a direct response Sunday to Li's warning and refused to say whether the United states would send forces through the Taiwan Strait.
Instead Panetta urged a peaceful resolution to increasing tensions between China and Taiwan.
"Our hope would be that (China) would back off and resort to a peaceful solution to that situation and there's nothing further about where we deploy those vessels. That's not something I will tell you or the country at this point," Panetta said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
White House spokesman Brian Cullen said the United States does "reserve the right to transit international waters," but also declined to say whether U.S. forces will test China's warning.
The United States has sent two aircraft carrier groups -- led by the USS Independence and USS Nimitz -- to the region to monitor the war games, which are scheduled to end Wednesday.
Beijing completed separate week-long missile tests close to Taiwan on Friday, only to announce more exercises will be conducted from Monday through March 25. The new exercises will consist of ground, naval and air maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan holds its first direct presidential election next Saturday. In a nationally televised forum Sunday with four presidential candidates, incumbent and front-runner Lee Teng-hui attacked China for its military exercises.
"Communist China conducted state terrorism toward Taiwan by using missile tests just before the elections," Lee quoted a university professor as saying. "This terrorist behavior is aimed at dominating Taiwan's elections."
The other candidates criticized Lee regarding the current crisis. One candidate suggested that Taiwan "should sign a peace agreement" with China and "slow down the process of seeking a U.N. seat." The government in Taipei lost its U.N. seat in 1971 to the government in Beijing, and has explored ways to win it back.
Lee, however, did not give ground, saying Taiwan's stance would not change. "We cannot dance to their tune," he said
China has said the exercises are intended to intimidate Taiwan's 21 million residents before the elections, which Beijing fears could encourage an independence drive. China reinforced its intimidation tactics Saturday by saying it has not ruled out invading Taiwan if it seeks independence.
In Taiwan's capital Saturday, thousands of demonstrators gathered undeterred by Beijing's threats, protesting what they called the Chinese aggression and calling for Taiwanese independence. At one point, the crowd burned an effigy of Chinese senior leader Deng Xiaoping.
But with the election less than a week away, Taiwan is preparing for the worst.
Two small islands with 300 residents have been evacuated and local election commissions were asked to set up special teams to handle emergencies that might arise during Saturday's voting.
'Common ground' needed with U.S., Li says
The election marks the first time the people of Taiwan have freely and directly chosen their president. That prospect and efforts by Lee to win greater international recognition for the island have infuriated Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province.
Furthermore, China has repeatedly told the United States not to meddle in its business.
In Sunday's speech, Li -- despite his harsh statements toward the United States -- said China and the United States should seek "common ground" to resolve the issue peacefully.
"The only correct way of ironing out these differences is to carry out dialogues and cooperate on an equal, friendly and frank basis -- seeking common ground while reserving differences, enhancing understanding, reducing troubles and refraining from confrontation," the Chinese premier said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin arrived in Hong Kong Sunday for a visit, and U.S. officials said he would send a message to China that its recent conduct puts its Most Favored Nation trade status at risk.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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March 18, 1996 Web posted at: 11:45 a.m. EST (1645 GMT)
From Correspondents Mike Chinoy and Tom Mintier
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- A third set of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait did not get under way Monday because of rough seas, heavy winds and poor visibility, Taiwan's defense ministry said.
The anticipated exercises -- meant to intimidate Taiwan as it prepares for presidential elections March 23 -- were to take place in the northern part of the 90-mile-wide waterway between China and Taiwan. A second set of military drills is continuing southwest of Taiwan; those are to end Wednesday.
U.S. naval forces are monitoring the Chinese maneuvers from vantage points about 200 miles off the eastern coast of Taiwan.
China had said the new exercises would begin Monday and last through March 25, two days after the election. Chinese officials admit that the air, sea and land exercises are meant to influence Taiwanese voters against independence for Taiwan, which China has considered a renegade province since 1949.
But Su Chi, an analyst with Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said the war games are having a counter effect.
"There is evidence President Lee (Teng-hui) will be helped (in the election) by the intimidation." Polls show a majority of Taiwan's 14 million voters support Lee.
Lee's opponents, however, have criticized efforts to seek a seat for Taiwan in the United Nations. The government in Taipei lost its U.N. seat in 1971 to Beijing, and has explored ways to win it back.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Frederick Chien told CNN Monday the Taiwanese people want a voice in the world forum. "We cannot forfeit what the public wants."
Some Taiwanese citizens don't want U.S. involvement. About 30 members of the Labor Party, which has no representation in parliament, protested outside the U.S. representative office in Taipei. They said U.S. "gunboat diplomacy," as they called it, could start a war with China. Demonstrators shouted, "Get out ugly Americans" and burned a U.S. flag.
The Chinese exercises are frightening island residents, many of whom are fleeing to the mainland. But Taiwanese government officials dismiss fears that the Chinese are making a serious military threat. They believe Beijing's intentions are political.
Still, Taiwanese troops are on alert. Taiwan's China Times reported that troops in combat gear have taken up positions on the beaches of Wuchiu, one of the islands closest to the planned exercises. The defense ministry did not comment on the report.
If China were to attack, it would be "presumptuous" for Taiwan to expect the United States to defend the island, Chien said Monday. However, he said the Taipei government does expect U.S. military equipment and "moral support and encouragement" to help Taiwan defend itself.
Taiwan's military is being upgraded, and billions of dollars are being spent on new hardware. But the balance of forces is heavily tilted in Beijing's favor. Taiwan has just 376,000 troops compared to China's 2.9 million. The Chinese have nearly 100 long- and medium-range missiles; Taiwan has none.
On the sea the balance is nearly equal. China has 50 ships to Taiwan's 38. But beneath the surface, China has the advantage -- 52 submarines to Taiwan's four.
Also Monday, exiled Chinese pro-democracy activists arrived in Taiwan to observe its first direct presidential elections, the state-run Central News Agency said.
A 30-member delegation, including former student leaders Chai Ling and Li Lu and journalist Liu Binyan, were invited by private organizations. All have been living abroad.
Chai and Li fled China after troops crushed a student-led democracy movement centered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Liu was expelled from the Communist Party in 1986 for his writings and fled to the United States.
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China, U.S. set meeting
Taiwan will be on the agenda
March 19, 1996
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen to discuss Taiwan relations and other issues.
The session announced Tuesday is scheduled for April 21 in The Hague, Netherlands.
State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns says the meeting will cover the full range of U.S.-Chinese relations, including the heightened tensions over Taiwan.
Other agenda items will cover the Chinese transfer of nuclear material to Pakistan, human rights, economic trade and the piracy of U.S.-copyrighted goods such as musical compact discs.
China hopes the meeting will reduce misunderstanding and "promote U.S. adherence to the three joint communiqués" governing Taiwan's status and Sino-U.S. relations, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang.
Earlier Tuesday, Shen criticized the United States "for grossly interfering in China's internal affairs and for the brazen show of force." He was reacting to patrols by U.S. naval ships in the waters near Taiwan.
China and the United States have exchanged bitter words in recent weeks over Chinese military exercises near the island nation that China considers a renegade province. China says the war games are meant to intimidate Taiwan before its first direct presidential election on Saturday.
A recent CNN/USA Today poll shows Americans are deeply divided over what America should do if China attacks Taiwan. Forty-six percent of Americans polled said the United States should not use force to defend Taiwan, while 43 percent said the U.S. should.
Last week, Qian said he probably would meet Christopher in April. Qian said he would protest U.S. interference in China's relationship with Taiwan.
In related news, U.S. and Taiwan officials met Tuesday to discuss possible new American arms sales to Taipei. The one-day meeting is an annual affair, but has taken on added significance this year because of the tensions between Taiwan and China.
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China criticizes U.S. for 'brazen show of force'
From Correspondent Mike Chinoy
March 19, 1996 Web posted at: 11:30 a.m. EST (1630 GMT)
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China unleashed a new round of angry warnings Tuesday for the United States to stay out of its business with Taiwan, ordering a halt to its "brazen show of force."
"The United States must immediately stop its activities, designed to interfere in China's internal affairs and intensify the tensions in the Taiwan Strait area," said Shen Guofang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
China is displeased over the United States' "brazen show of force," he said.
Shen issued his statements in a news conference after being asked about possible U.S. plans to send its aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, through the strait to monitor Chinese war games. Another U.S. naval group, headed by the USS Independence, is also in the region.
The United States responded by telling Beijing that high economic stakes are at risk.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin said China's intimidation tactics aimed toward Taiwan may hinder the renewal of China-U.S. trade deals worth billions of dollars annually.
Secretary of Defense William Perry was more defiant.
"America has the best dammed Navy in the world, and no one should ever forget that," he said.
However, he added, "I do not believe it is going to lead to war. I believe shortly after the election, the Chinese forces conducting the exercise will return to their barracks."
War games may be intensifying
Shen's statements came on the heels of new reports that China launched its latest round of war games in the Taiwan Strait early Tuesday.
Reuters news service reported that China's army had pounded a deserted island with artillery fire in a mock battle to capture it. Residents on a nearby island controlled by the Chinese reportedly saw Chinese military personnel maneuvering in the area as well as military planes and helicopters flying overhead.
However, Taiwan's defense ministry said it detected little movement of Chinese jet fighters and warships in the area designated for Chinese military exercises.
Taiwan holds its first direct presidential election Saturday, and China has said the war games and missile tests are meant to intimidate Taiwan's 21 million residents before the elections, which it perceives as a drive for independence.
China's current missile tests are to continue through March 25. Last week, Beijing completed a separate round of week-long tests close to Taiwan.
China has said it may invade Taiwan if a foreign force such as the United States intervenes too heavily.
Catalyst: How current tensions arose
Analysts say the current tensions between China and Taiwan were prompted by a visit to Cornell University last year by Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, considered a front-runner in the presidential election.
On the surface, Lee's trip to the United States to deliver the graduation address at his alma mater seemed innocuous. But the visit convinced China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province, that Lee was going too far in his quest for international recognition.
"Lee's visit to Cornell... was the crowning achievement of pragmatic diplomacy and of a prolonged lobbying campaign by Taiwan to reverse a long-standing U.S. policy of denying Taiwan's leader an American visa," said Su Chi, a member of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.
David Shambaugh, with the China Quarterly, says Taiwan and Lee's administration prompted the current crisis by trying to move away from the agreement President Richard Nixon signed on a visit to China in 1972. In it, the United States acknowledged Taiwan as part of mainland China.
However, with Taiwan's economic strides over the last two decades, voters on the island have pushed for a greater international role, and possible independence.
Pressure from voters had led Lee to pursue a policy described by analysts as pragmatic diplomacy. It includes unofficial trips abroad to give Taiwan a higher profile on the world stage.
If the purpose of Lee's actions is to heighten Taiwan's international profile, he has succeeded. The results will be answered for sure within the coming days.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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