Taiwan VP voices bid to lead island

Taiwan VP voices bid to lead island

TAIPEI (Reuters): Taiwan Vice President Lien Chan on Saturday announced his hope of becoming the island's next president, succeeding Lee Teng-hui, whose recent remarks on "special state- to-state" ties with China infuriated Beijing.

Lien, who is Lee's carefully groomed choice, vowed to promote peaceful cooperation and normalize ties with rival China, listing it as one of eight reform moves he would pursue if he became president.

"I hereby announce that I will devote myself to Taiwan, take the challenge and seek nomination from the Nationalist Party to run for the 10th presidency," Lien told several hundred thousand supporters at a rally in the southern city of Tainan.

Lien said he would try to create a "win-win situation" by normalizing ties with the mainland.

"There is only one way we can go to promote peaceful cross- strait developments, that is, to seek mutual benefit and prosperity, expand contacts and exchanges and normalise ties under an equal footing," Lien said.

Lien stopped short of saying whether he stood by Lee's July 9 controversial call for "special state-to-state" relations with China that sparked harsh Beijing condemnations and concerns from Washington.

Beijing has viewed Taiwan as an insubordinate province since it drove the Chinese Nationalist government into exile on the island in 1949 after a civil war.

Communist China, which excoriated Lee as a "troublemaker," has opposed all assertions of sovereignty by Taipei's government and reserves the right to take the island by force if it declares independence.

On Friday, Taipei sought to ease the row with Beijing by clarifying that Taiwan adheres to eventual unification with the mainland. But the clarification was snubbed by China, which accused Taipei of breaking pledges to uphold a one-China policy. Lien gave no further details of his mainland policy.

Lien would face challenges from popular former Taiwan governor James Soong, who defied the Nationalist Party by announcing his presidential bid on July 16, and from former Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

Supporters at Lien's Tainan rally beat drums and shouted "Lien Chan, elected" when he announced his presidential bid.

But recent public opinion polls have consistently placed Soong well ahead of Lien. Chen ranked second in the polls and Lien was third.