- (AFP) -- Chinese dailies have nearly universally ignored
the stunning redefinition by President George W. Bush of US commitments
on Taiwan made during talks with visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
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- Most leading government-run newspapers failed to report
Tuesday's landmark meeting between the two men, including the Communist
Party-run People's Daily and the military-run People's Liberation Army
Daily.
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- Only the English-language China Daily, published for
overseas readers, carried a full front page report on the meeting in which
Bush said he would oppose plans by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to hold
a referendum on the island's independence.
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- "We oppose any unilateral decision by either China
or Taiwan to change the status quo," Bush said, seated with Wen in
front of a crackling log fire in the Oval Office.
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- "And the comments and actions made by the leader
of Taiwan indicate that he may be willing to make decisions unilaterally
to change the status quo, which we oppose."
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- Bush's remarks follow statements two years ago in which
he said he would do "whatever it took" to defend Taiwan's fledgling
democracy from mainland military threats.
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- The more racy and colorful Beijing News and Beijing Morning
Post picked up the story, but ran it on the inside pages.
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- Only the China Daily and Beijing Morning Post carried
pictures of Wen and Bush.
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- Although the meeting arguably took place on deadline
for Chinese papers, the government has long viewed the Taiwan issue as
the most central and sensitive issue facing Sino-US relations.
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- Since the Nationalist government fled the mainland and
established itself on Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the island as
a renegade province to be eventually reunified, by force if necessary.
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