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Lee Teng-hui Wants to Mar Sino-Japanese Ties: Commentary
Xinhua News Agency published a commentary Friday saying that the true aim of Lee Teng-hui's proposed trip to Japan for "medical treatment" is to make trouble for Sino-Japanese relations.
Recently, at his first press conference after stepping down from power a year ago, Lee pretended to be very ill, despite the fact that he was described by some of his aides to be "as strong as an ox," the commentary says.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Taiwan authorities and some local politicians in the island province have urged the Japanese government to grant a visa to Lee, saying that it is inhuman to block Lee's visit to Japan.
Lee is, however, called the "former head of state" by the Taiwan authorities and is nothing but a political figure. Lee is neither "an ordinary person" as Taiwanese politicians describe nor an ordinary political figure, says the commentary.
During his 12-year tenure as "president," Lee clamored for making Taiwan and the Chinese mainland "two equal political entities" or even dividing China into seven regions each enjoying "full autonomy," advertised his "two-state theory," supported pro- independence forces in the island province with his power, and conducted a "pragmatic diplomacy" in the international arena aimed at creating "two Chinas," the commentary points out.
Lee's nature as a "trouble-maker" has never changed, the article stresses. His separatist activities have brought about several crises to cross-straits relations. Lee used to be a trouble-maker for the Sino-U.S. ties, and this time he wants to bring trouble to the relations between China and Japan.
The commentary criticizes Lee's claim that only Japanese doctors are capable of curing his illness, saying this is an insult to local medical services in Taiwan.
The commentary quotes reports by Taiwan-based media as saying that the kind of operation Lee wants Japanese doctors to conduct on his coronary artery is doable for local doctors in the island province. Last year alone, local hospitals in Taiwan reported over 12,900 such operations and over 3,500 checks on cardiac catheters.
According to local reports, on April 13, Lee remained in high spirits even after he played golf for the whole afternoon and continued to practice at a golf club in the evening.
What Lee wants from his proposed Japan tour is to show that he is retired but does not rest, and that his impact remains, the commentary says, adding that Lee wants to use the stage of Japan to spread his separatist remarks to the international community.
The commentary quotes media reports in Hong Kong and Taiwan as saying that Lee's "small step in Japan might be a big step for the development of Taiwan-Japan relations" and "The Taiwan authorities want to use Lee Teng-hui as a steppingstone for developing ties
with Japan."
The Taiwan issue is related to the political base of Sino- Japanese relations, Xinhua emphasizes, noting that if Lee is allowed to go to Japan, it will inevitably damage Sino-Japanese ties and further hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
The article urges the Japanese government to respect the solemn and just stance of the Chinese government and take a clear and definite attitude to block Lee's trip as soon as possible. It also warns the Taiwan authorities to stop its separatist activities.
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