Chinese Missile Tests Could Lead to Taiwanese Break, Chen Warns

Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has said that future Chinese ballistic missile tests would be seen as acts of “force” against Taiwan, which could move the island closer to declaring independence, the Financial Times reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 10).

In an interview with the Times, Chen repeated that he would abandon a promise to not declare independence from China if Beijing resorted to force against Taiwan. 

“If China continues to deploy more missiles against Taiwan, and continues to threaten Taiwan with the use of force, it would only drive Taiwan further away. It would invite a backlash from the people of Taiwan, and would also cause even more people to see China as a hostile country rather than the motherland,” he said.

Chen also said that Chinese ballistic missile tests conducted off the Taiwanese coast would be seen as an act of force. “It is an attack,” he said (Mallet/Hille, Financial Times, Dec. 16).

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