Taiwan's FM visits Europe in secrecy

Taiwan's FM visits Europe in secrecy

TAIPEI (AFP): Taiwan's foreign minister and air force commander are making secret visits to Europe, sources and reports said here yesterday, in a move expected to anger China.

Foreign Minister John Chang is secretly visiting Belgium following an unsuccessful trip to South Africa to persuade the government there to maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei, a foreign ministry source told AFP.

Taiwan air force commander-in-chief Huang Hsien-jung is making a surprise unpublicized visit to France -- a visit linked to Taipei's purchase of advanced weapons and aircraft from French firms, the leading China Times newspaper reported.

"The foreign minister has flown to Belgium and will return here in the next several days," the ministry source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said Chang decided to visit Belgium while in South Africa, from where he was originally scheduled to return to Taipei yesterday.

The source declined to say whether Chang would visit other European countries or if the trip was linked to Taiwan's bid for a higher international profile.

"The minister will hold a press conference after returning to Taipei. You can ask him then," he said.

Chang quietly left South Africa late Friday, ahead of his scheduled departure, after failing to convince Pretoria to switch official ties from Taipei to Beijing.

Neither Belgium nor the European Union, which is largely centered in Brussels, maintain formal ties with Taiwan and each officially recognizes Beijing as the legitimate government of China.

Taiwan's United Daily News reported that Chang had flown to Brussels via Zurich, Switzerland, arriving in the Belgian capital Saturday morning.

The newspaper quoted Chang as saying he would visit other European countries after his stay in Belgium, but all the visits would be of a private nature.

Taiwan's China Times daily, meanwhile, said air force chief Huang left for France on December 3 and was expected to return some time this week.

Quoting unnamed sources, it said the visit coincided with the delivery of the first batch of 960 French-made air-to-air Mica missiles to Taiwan.

It said Huang would observe the production of Mirage 2000-5 fighters due to be delivered to Taiwan, which has ordered 60 of the jets.

The report said the missiles, ordered from French manufacturer Matra in a deal worth US$1.9 billion, would be held in storage until the arrival of the Mirage fighters for which they were designed. The Mirage deal caused a serious rift between Beijing and Paris and led to China ordering the closure of the French consulate in the southern city of Guangzhou in 1992.

Taiwan has also ordered 400 Mistral surface-to-air missile from the France and Taiwan pilots and instructors have been sent there for training.

The defense ministry declined to comment on the report and no other details of Huang's visit were given.

A similarly secretive visit by Taiwanese Vice President Lien Chan to the Ukraine in mid-August caused a serious rift between Kiev and Taipei's arch-rival, Beijing.

China lodged a strong protest and canceled a top-level government delegation to the Ukraine to protest against Lien's nominally private visit.

China has viewed Taiwan as a renegade province since their split at the end of a civil war in 1949 and strongly opposes other states officially recognizing Taiwan or its leaders.