HONG KONG (AP) -- Beijing has decided to use military force against Taiwan if Taipei refuses to abandon President Lee Teng-hui's recent declaration of statehood, a Hong Kong newspaper reported Wednesday.
The South China Morning Post said the Chinese were considering an "appropriate degree of force," but the only option mentioned was the invasion and temporary occupation of an outlying island held by Taipei.
The newspaper, citing unidentified Beijing sources, said Chinese leaders are split over the timing, with hard-liners favoring military action soon after Oct. 1, China's National Day, while moderates prefer waiting until Taiwan's presidential elections next March.
The moderates argued that Beijing should only take action if the new president refuses to back down from Lee's declaration that Beijing must deal with Taiwan on a "state-to-state" basis, the report said.
Top Chinese leaders agreed on the battle plan at the top-level, closed door meetings at the seaside resort of Beidaihe, where Beijing leaders converge every summer to make important decisions, the Post said.
President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji and Central Military Committee Chairman Chi Haotian usually attend these meetings, but their presence could not be independently confirmed. The meetings conclude later this week.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have risen to a three-year high since Lee's declaration last month, which was seen by Beijing as a major step toward formal independence for the island.
China views Taiwan as a renegade province and says it will use military force if Taiwan ever seeks formal independence. The two sides split politically in a 1949 civil war.
Military activity has heightened over the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan and mainland China since Lee's remarks.
Lee and his deputies have stood by his statehood claims despite military pressure from Beijing and political pressure from Washington.
The Post said that the Chinese leadership has agreed that several top Chinese government units, including the Central Military Commission and the Leading Group on Taiwan, have been granted authority to determine the timing and severity of military action.
Copyright 1999 The Associated Press |
