January 25, 1996
Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)
From Beijing Bureau Chief Andrea Koppel
BEIJING (CNN) -- Anxieties grew in Taiwan on Thursday after a New York Times report said China has plotted a military attack on Taiwan in the weeks following its March presidential elections.
Citizens of Taiwan are shaken by the news, and China's refusal to comment on the matter has increased Taiwan's uneasiness. U.S. officials were skeptical about the chances of an attack, but are monitoring the situation closely.
"People are worried when they think of a possible attack by China. It doesn't matter how remote the possibility looks," said analyst Thomas Chien of Wardley James Capel Securities as some worried about the economic impact of the report.
There has been rivalry between China and Taiwan since the end of the civil war in 1949, when the . Since China's civil war ended in 1949, Beijing has considered Taiwan a renegade province and maintains its government is not entitled to international relations.
Beijing and Taipei have been bitter rivals since the end of the civil war in 1949, when the defeated Nationalists fled to the offshore island.
China repeatedly has asked the United States not to invite Taiwan officials to Washington. But so far, Washington has refused to give in to those demands. U.S. officials welcomed Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui during his visit last June, infuriating Chinese officials.
China has stepped up its military maneuvers in the Taiwan straits over the last several months, and Beijing now insists that Taiwan must end its campaign for independence from mainland China, or China may be forced to attack. (425K QuickTime movie)
China denies the existence of a military plan, but Chinese officials have declined to comment in detail.
"It would not be in the Taiwanese interest to continue their erroneous position, but I do not wish to speculate," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Chen Jian said.
There is an element of "talking tough in order to keep the other guy off balance," said Stanford University professor John Lewis. (111K AIFF sound or 111K WAV sound)
One Western diplomat said China "would not be unhappy if this intimidates Taiwan. This helps to reinforce the notion that Beijing is keeping its options open."
China has communicated its anger over the situation with visiting American scholars. Several scholars said they were told that mainland China has a plan to carry out an attack on Taiwan, hoping they will relay the information to U.S. officials.
The same scholars say that Beijing is hopeful the United States will use its clout with Taiwan to convince Lee to give up his global campaign for greater international recognition.
Lee, who favors reunification with China if it becomes democratic, says this is no time to appear soft.
"This is an election to span the century. ... The next four years will be filled with challenges and crises, but also full of opportunities," Lee said Thursday.
Taiwan believes the United States will fully support its independence bid, said David Lampton, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. But he thinks the United States might be reluctant to get involved. (128K AIFF sound or 128K WAV sound)
"If Taiwan authorities stick obstinately to their wrongful positions, the interests of the Taiwan people will ultimately be harmed," Beijing spokesman Chen said.
![[Imagemap]](/WORLD/images/9601/navbar2.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
