Taipei, July 20 (CNA) Republic of China President Lee Teng-hui said on Tuesday that Beijing's military bluffing is not beneficial to the improvement of cross-strait relations.
Lee made the remark when he met representatives of the regional 3470 Rotary Club. During the meeting, Lee reasserted and further explained his recent "special state-to-state" statement concerning the relationship between Taipei and Beijing.
Lee pointed out during the meeting that his recent comments on "special state-to-state" relations are mainly based on practical, legal and historical points of view, and are intended to clearly define cross-strait relations.
The Presidential Office canceled a meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and which was to be attended by top-ranking officials of the government and the ruling party.
Lin Bih-jaw, presidential deputy secretary-general, said that since a meeting concerning the current cross-strait situation was convened by the Executive Yuan on Monday and since the Cabinet has made a report to the Presidential Office, it was unnecessary for the president to hold a similar conference.
Lee noted that the ROC will continue its efforts to promote exchanges between the two sides, and to engage in talks on an equal footing.
Lee also urged his people to have more confidence in the government, as confidence is the source of power. With confidence, he said, many problems can be resolved gradually.
The president stressed once again that Beijing's "one China" refers to the "People's Republic of China," and ---according to that view---Taiwan is but a local government as well as a "renegade province." Beijing's assertion is the fundamental impediment in the improvement of cross-strait relations, Lee said.
An official of the Presidential Office said that Lee's cross-strait statement is not a "redefinition" of the relationship between Taipei and Beijing; it is, instead, a statement of fact, which will help outsiders to have a clearer understanding of the actual relationship.
The ranking official, who is familiar with mainland affairs, said the government has no plans to rescind the Guidelines for National Unification, or to revise the Statute Governing the Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, the National Security Law, the Nationality Law and other relevant regulations.