DATE=10/20/98
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-240443
TITLE=TAIWAN / CHINA (L-ONLY)
BYLINE=JAMES MITCHELL
DATELINE=TAIPEI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:   

INTRO:  A SENIOR TAIWANESE ENVOY RETURNED HOME MONDAY FROM A 
GROUND-BREAKING VISIT TO  CHINA, HAILING HIS TALKS THERE A 
SUCCESS. BUT AS JAMES MITCHELL REPORTS FROM TAIPEI, DESPITE THE 
UPBEAT RETURN HOME OF STRAITS EXCHANGE FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN KOO 
CHEN-FU, THERE ARE MANY LINGERING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO 
SIDES.  

TEXT: THE MORNING AFTER HIS RETURN FROM BEIJING AND AN AUDIENCE 
WITH JIANG ZEMIN -- THE HIGHEST LEVEL CROSS-STRAIT CONTACT SINCE 
1949 -- CHIEF TAIWAN  NEGOTIATOR KOO CHEN-FU MET WITH TAIWANESE 
PRESIDENT LEE DENG-HUI.   MR. LEE CONGRATULATED THE BILLIONAIRE 
TYCOON ON THE SUCCESS OF THIS LATEST  MISSION, WHICH HE SAID NOT 
ONLY FURTHERED CROSS-STRAIT EXCHANGES,  BUT ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO 
THE SECURITY OF THE REGION. 

AT THE END OF FIVE DAYS OF TALKS IN SHANGHAI AND  BEIJING, MR. 
KOO AND   HIS DELEGATION HAD LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CONCRETE 
RESULTS TO SHOW FOR THEIR   EFFORTS, BEYOND A CONSENSUS THAT 
TALKS SHOULD CONTINUE AND A PROMISE THAT BEIJING WOULD 
RECIPROCATE WITH A VISIT TO TAIWAN IN THE   FUTURE.   BUT MANY 
ANALYSTS HERE IN TAIWAN SAY THE  SUCCESS OF THE MISSION WAS IN 
THE FACT THAT THE TWO SIDES WERE ABLE TO SIT ACROSS FROM ONE 
ANOTHER AND DISAGREE. 

DISAGREE THEY DID -- WITH BEIJING INSISTING ON ITS "ONE CHINA" 
POLICY, AND TAIWAN SAYING  THERE CAN BE NO REUNIFICATION WITHOUT 
DEMOCRACY.

REACTION IN TAIWAN WAS NOT UNIFORMLY POSITIVE, GUO ZHANG-LIANG, 
AN ACADEMIC WHO ACCOMPANIED MR. KOO,   WROTE TUESDAY IN A 
NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL THAT BEIJING'S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT TAIWAN'S  
POLITICAL STATUS SIGNALS A RETURN TO DIPLOMATIC BATTLING INSTEAD 
OF   DIALOGUE. 

BUT OTHER OBSERVERS, BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT IN TAIPEI 
ARGUE THAT AT THIS STAGE,  DISAGREEING IN FACE-TO-FACE 
DISCUSSIONS IS FAR BETTER THAN NOT TALKING AT ALL.  (SIGNED)

NEB/JM/FC

20-Oct-98 4:16 AM EDT (0816 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.