| TAIPEI - Taiwan President-elect Chen Shui-bian (News|)
sought on Thursday to allay any fears of rising tension with China, saying the island's
security apparatus and the United States had assured him there has been no unusual Chinese
military activity. ``Everybody can rest assured. Routine drills by the Chinese
Communists are frequent, especially every April and May,'' Chen was quoted by Reuters as
speaking to a crowd of supporters in the northern county of Hsinchu (News) .
``Security units told me, the U.S. side told me that there is nothing unusual,'' he
said. ``So we should not scare ourselves.''
Defence Ministry spokesman Kung Fan-ting said on Tuesday that China had intensified
training for bomber and jet fighter crews and that there was unusual naval activity near
the Diaoyu, or Senkaku, islands in the East China Sea recently.
Taiwan stocks fell heavily on Wednesday, sending Taiwan officials scrambling to contain
the damage.
Tension between Taipei and Beijing has been running high since Chen, whose Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) espouses independence from China, won presidential elections,
ending more than five decades of Nationalist rule in Taiwan.
Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has threatened to invade if the
island declares independence. Chen has soft-pedalled on his pro-independence stand, but
Beijing is unconvinced and has said it will watch him closely. |
