Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan says at a regular press
conference Tuesday that Singapore's deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong's visit to Taiwan has infringed China's core interest and
undermined the political basis of Sino-Singapore relations.
Kong Quan says Lee's defense of his visit is contradictory as he
said his visit was private at first, but then he said the visit was
to maintain Singapore's interest.
He says Lee Hsien Loong's visit indicates a kind of support for
Taiwan's separatists and not conducive to regional peace and
stability, let alone to protect Singapore's interest shouldn't be
based on sacrifice of China's interest and Sovereignty.
Kong Quan says China hopes Singapore realizes the severity of
the matter and take practical measures to win China's trust.
He says Singapore should take responsibility for the current
difficulties in bilateral relations.
Lee, the son of Singapore's founding father Lee Kwan Yew, said
in a written response to the media last Friday that he had declined
China's request not to go, as it would have undermined the city
state's independence.
He will succeed Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong next month.
Meanwhile Shanghai has refused to let Singapore's Carnival be
held in Pudong area and Chinese officials cancelled their training
trip to Singapore.
Local newspaper reports that Singapore's carnival organizers
intended to come to Pudong area in Shanghai to host the event, but
encountered refusal from Shanghai.
Meanwhile, after governor of People's Bank of China Zhou
Xiaochuan cancelled his visit to Singapore, 126 Chinese officials
and mayors also cancelled their training plan in Singapore
scheduled from July 26.
(CRI.com July 21, 2004)