Singapore says it opposes Taiwan independence
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-12 17:59

Singapore moved on Monday to calm China over a visit by its Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Taipei, saying it was a private and unofficial trip to "meet friends".

Following an angry reaction from Beijing to the visit, Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that emphasized Singapore's support for the "One China" policy and its opposition to Taiwanese independence.

"Lee is making a private and unofficial visit to Taiwan to meet with friends. He last visited them in 1992," the statement said.

"Singapore has consistently maintained a 'One China' policy. We do not support independence for Taiwan. This is our fundamental position.

"Deputy PM Lee's private visit does not in any way change this policy, nor does it represent any challenge to China's sovereignty or territorial integrity."

Lee's visit comes at a particularly sensitive time as he is due to take over from Goh Chok Tong as prime minister this year. Goh has said he will announce the handover date sometime over the next few weeks.

China reacted angrily on Sunday to the trip, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue expressing "strong dissatisfaction" and "protest" on Sunday.

"The Singaporean side should take full responsibility for results from the event," Xinhua quoted Zhang as saying.

Zhang said the Taiwan issue is directly related to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the Chinese government firmly opposes official relations in any form between countries that have established diplomatic ties with China and the Taiwan authorities.

The Singaporean leader¡¯s visit hurts China's core interests, the political base between the two countries and the feeling of 1.3 billion Chinese people, said the spokeswoman.

Beijing opposes any official foreign visit to Taiwan, which is an integral part of national territory. The two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

In its statement, Singapore's foreign ministry said it "values our close and extensive bilateral relations with China".

"It would be regrettable if bilateral relations were to be affected by this private visit."

Lee is the son of Singapore's still-powerful founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, who has remained in Cabinet as Senior Minister since handing over power to Goh in 1990.

i knew it , he’s an idiot, to make a visit like this….......i can see LKY’s idea of good genes being passed on doesn’t seem to be something that always happens

We are treading a very fine line, especially when we are trying to make friends who are enemies with each other.E.g Iran and USA, China and Taiwan.Who are we to possess this hubris that we can successfully play both sides safely?

why he go taiwan makes so much noise one har???

He'd better have a good explanation about the visit when he comes back ....
provoking the chinese is no small issue ... lotz of potential & xtg biz at stake ...

Pardon me if I am uninformed, but wats da agenda of his trip anyway ... whats personal issues are there to settle in Taiwan that requires him to go ovr there personally .... indeed, this seems to be an unprecedented and unecessary move ...

well..... he has done it again.....

I think he owes us a good explaination, how is it in the best interest of Singapore that he had to do this, at this time, with this kind of Taiwan (compared to his daddy's days), in the context of growing clout of China?

China is retaliating. They just pulled the BOC chairman from making a scheduled speech in Singapore. There will be more to come...

or did some scholar in the foreign ministry read the whole situation so wrong and thus provide poor judgement to DPM Lee?

someone's head got to roll

no.. i think it was the thick-headed arrogance of Lau Lee's son...

he's well-known to not care about things like logic, good sense and good judgement...

I am really worried, especially when I am in China now. This Taiwan thing is such an emotional issue here. Zhang Hui Mei had to cancel her Hangzhou concert because of protest.

Singapore has always enjoyed respect and admiration from the Chinese, but when people get emotional, it overides rationality. Just hope this blows over soon and our equity in this market is not undermined.

Fingers crossed.

goodness... his excuse?

private and unofficial visit...

fricken idiot...

this brainiac is going to be our PM...

i fear for our country

Originally posted by the Bear:

goodness... his excuse?

private and unofficial visit...

fricken idiot...

this brainiac is going to be our PM...

i fear for our country

hmmm...... of all a sudden , "where's our money" Chee seems like a more suitable canditate for the post of PM
i'm begining to feel less hostility towards him already

he heard that Taiwanese girls are very pretty.
you can't blame him - Look at Ho Ching

Why can’t his Taiwan friend come over to Singapore or meet in some other country instead? Heard the Taiwanese giving it a lot of publicity which we don’t need. This will definately affect our economy & our business with China. Govt. tells us to go overseas to do business, then we get ‘sabo’, who will pay? China will retaliate, she already said will not allow anyone to interfere in internal affairs. Better send someone impt. to apologise

Originally posted by the Bear:

goodness... his excuse?

private and unofficial visit...

fricken idiot...

this brainiac is going to be our PM...

i fear for our country

BE AFRAID .. BE VERY AFRAID

Originally posted by AzRaeL:

he heard that Taiwanese girls are very pretty.
you can't blame him - Look at Ho Ching

Hahaha
mayb he wanna take a drive around Taiwan and visit all the Bing Lang Mei

before branishing others as idiots, one should take a good look at oneself first.

Just my opioin, I think LHL’s trip to taiwan is to build up the relationship between taiwan and china especially the tension that was created after the presidential election. My dad used to tell me LKY use to hold meeting with the leaders of taiwan and the mainland in singapore. His purpose is to act as a middle manbetween the 2 countries. Therefore I have reasons to believe that his purpose for this trip is a need. Perhaps it might be china who wanted him to go and talk to them as a third party instead of directly talk to them.

very bad timing. Just when he is to take over..........but maybe he purposely commit hari-kiri so that he don't have to be the next PM........

Originally posted by SpeedStar:

Just my opioin, I think LHL's trip to taiwan is to build up the relationship between taiwan and china especially the tension that was created after the presidential election. My dad used to tell me LKY use to hold meeting with the leaders of taiwan and the mainland in singapore. His purpose is to act as a middle manbetween the 2 countries. Therefore I have reasons to believe that his purpose for this trip is a need. Perhaps it might be china who wanted him to go and talk to them as a third party instead of directly talk to them.

I agree. The first cross-straits talks were held in Singapore. Singapore can act as the peacemaker and messenger and help reduce cross-straits tensions.

what i feel is CHINA IS F***-TYPE......especially those old guards up there....hyper sensitive, narrow-minded and bureacratic....see beh sick of them.....

do we protest over the piracy of Suzhuo Gong Ye Yuan? those bloody china kakis cheebye set up another mirror image of our produce and drew business to their own gong ye yuan!!!

worse now they asked LKY to venture and exploit the western terrains in China.....smart fellows but cunning!!!!

i never like China people!!! I never liked them!!! i only love those who had come to Singapore last generation and built Singapore!!!! Those coming now are here to exploit us!!! here to earn money from us and bring back to china to build houses and buy big cars and to set up their businesses!!!!

Lee Hsien Loong is there for the sole purpose of fostering friendship (whether political or private, none of anyone's business) and i believe he is there to explore business opportunities for everyone - WIN-WIN situation!!!

remember, when our ministers travel, they travel to explore business opportunities for everyone...this is my firm belief!!!

and for your info, i just bought a card reader recently, and mind you, this is my 1st Made-in-China product I bought!!! F***-type man!!! cannot read the images in my MMC card!!! sometimes can read sometimes cannot!!!

Then i exchanged the card reader for a Taiwan-made one....and we know la....Made-in-Taiwan one is more reliable!!!!

now that General Motors have moved to China to setup plants, I pray that the China-made cars are safe ad sound......

for your info, i only buy those made-in-china plastic pails and cups!!! No thanks if you ask me to buy their electronic products, automobiles or cellphones (especially Hai-Er brand ones).....NBZ%$#%$#$#$#

really really really don't understand why the F*** China Kao Bei Kao Bu for.....feel like slapping that China female foreign affairs minister.....Qiyue........last time when she spoke and commented about USA, i clapped my hands hard, now that she talked cock, i will recommend her to Geylang to talk cock.....

Maybe China is trying to kill the chicken to warn the monkey. Singapore is a small country use as a whipping boy.

There's no need to overact.The furore over the visit will be over soon. After all the most important element as you say is $. As long as Singapore recognised one china there's no problem.

Originally posted by gerrykoh:

Why can't his Taiwan friend come over to Singapore or meet in some other country instead? Heard the Taiwanese giving it a lot of publicity which we don't need. This will definately affect our economy & our business with China. Govt. tells us to go overseas to do business, then we get 'sabo', who will pay? China will retaliate, she already said will not allow anyone to interfere in internal affairs. Better send someone impt. to apologise

You may get the same reaction from China if we allow them to visit us (if his "friend" is of high rank). China did that when one of the high ranked people (forgot who) in Taiwan tried to visit Indonesia. The trip was later cancelled when Indonesia decided to withdrew the visa approval.

Anyway, this is just show show only.

China, out of political needs and face saving, has to protest to appease some of the old guards among their rank. And then, Singapore, out of coutesy that we still respect them, will apologies to keep those same old guard happy.

Welcome to the world of politics.

tell u la....if u ask me to brush up my chinese (mandarin is wrong word coz in china they speak only chinese (bei fang hua) and not mandarin, i rather learn Malay.....then can sian our good neighbour (Malalysia Malay girls)...kekekeke........

Malaysia Boleh!!!!!!!! i love you Pat Lak (is the spelling correct?).....

let's marry Malaysia.....then slowly we marry Thailand and Indonesia....