China warns about visit by Taiwan's president

China warns about visit by Taiwan's president

BEIJING (Reuter): China yesterday warned of serious political consequences if the president of rival Taiwan attended next month's Asian Games in Hiroshima.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman stopped short of saying Beijing would boycott the games, as already threatened, if Lee Teng-hui makes the trip.

But Shen Guofang appealed to Tokyo to take into consideration the general state of relations between Japan and China, in a veiled request for Tokyo to refuse Lee a visa.

"If Lee Teng-hui goes to Japan to attend the Asian Games, it will bring serious political troubles to the Asian Games," Shen told a regular weekly briefing.

"We hope the Japanese side and the organizing committee of the Hiroshima Games will be prudent," he said. "We are firmly opposed to the activities of Lee Teng-hui in Japan in any name or in any opportunity."

China and Taiwan have been rivals since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 when the defeated Nationalists fled to the island.

While China has tolerated Taiwan's expanding economic interests, it remains firmly opposed to any move that would give the island political legitimacy.

"We hope the Japanese government can set store by the general interest of Sino-Japanese relations and abide by the principled spirit enshrined in the joint statement," Shen said in answer to a question on whether Tokyo should grant Lee a visa.

The joint statement covered the establishment of ties in 1972.

Shen would not be drawn on what the political consequences of a visit by Lee to Japan would be, saying only: "These political troubles will be serious and will involve many parts."

China's State Physical Culture and Sports Commission said it was waiting for official word from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) that Lee would attend the opening ceremony of the games before deciding whether to boycott.

Taiwan officials said Lee had already accepted an invitation to go to Hiroshima extended earlier this summer by Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad, president of the OCA.

Embarrassment

The invitation to Lee has created a diplomatic embarrassment for Japan. China, the biggest foreign entry for the games with 568 athletes, protested last week and threatened to boycott if Lee attended.

Taiwan said Lee's going to the games should not become a diplomatic incident.

"The purpose of President Lee's trip to Hiroshima is simply to attend an international sports event... the trip has nothing to do with the relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Japan," a government spokesman quoted Foreign Affairs Minister Fredrick Chien as saying.

In a sign of how concerned Japan has become about China's threatened boycott, Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama stepped into the diplomatic row on Tuesday to remind Taipei that Tokyo had a one-China policy that recognized Beijing.

A record 7,300 athletes and officials from 42 nations are due to take part in the sports event from October 2 to 16, competing in 337 events in 34 sports.