(21 Feb 2004)
1. High shot of Presidential candidates entering room
2. Candidates shaking hands
3. SOUNDBITE, (Mandarin), Lien Chan, Nationalist party presidential Candidate:
"Today, you insisted on holding the referendum, but where are the threats coming from? Do you mean there are missiles deployed by China? There have been there since your inauguration, but you didn''''t worried about them and didn''''t mention it in your inauguration speech. Why did you change you mind? We believe this is against the law. How can the leader of the country break the
law like this?"
4. Audience
5. SOUNDBITE, (Mandarin), Chen Shui-bian, Ruling Party Presidential Candidate:
"You don''''t trust the people but you ask people to trust you. How can you ask people to vote for you when you don''''t trust them. We fought for the right to hold our first referendum, how can you say you are not going to participate? You don''''t appreciate Taiwan''''s first referendum. This is should not have anything to do with racial issues or disputes between different parties. We should value our first referendum."
6. Audience
7. SOUNDBITE, (Mandarin), Lien Chan, Nationalist Party Presidential Candidate:
"We should put aside the issue of Taiwan''''s independence or unification with China. We will leave it to the future. Let people decide in the future. We cannot push it to happen, no one can do that, you cannot do it either. What should we do now? We should set up dialogue with China."
8. Audience
9. SOUNDBITE, (Mandarin), Chen Shui-bian, Ruling Party Presidential Candidate
"We hope to set up dialogue with China. We hope to push for peaceful negotiations with the Chinese leaders. We will set an envoy to China after the election day on March 20. I really hope to shake hands with Chinese leader Hu Jintao one day in my four''''s term."
10. Candidates standing on podium
11. SOUNDBITE, (Mandarin), Lien Chan, Nationalist Party Presidential Candidate
"Our Nationalist Party supports a limited war. We''''ll use the Taiwan Strait to win the first round and that will give us time to hold talks. But peace is the first priority, war would be the last choice."
12. Candidates walking down podium
13. Candidates shaking hands
STORYLINE:
Taiwan''''s opposition presidential candidate said Saturday that his defense strategy with China would involve winning the first round of a "limited war" before negotiating with the communist neighbour.
Lien Chan, vice president in the former Nationalist government, raised the issue during a debate with President Chen Shui-bian ahead of the March 20 election.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 when the Communists took over the mainland. Beijing regards the self-ruled, democratic island as part of its territory, and has repeatedly threatened to use force to make Taiwan unify.
Lien argued that Chen was fueling an arms race with rival China by advocating a provocative policy. He said in the event of a war with China, the president''''s plan was to paralyze China''''s coastal defenses and keep the decisive battle off Taiwan''''s shores.
"Our Nationalist Party supports a limited war. We''''ll use the Taiwan Strait to win the first round and that will give us time to hold talks" with China, Lien said. He did not elaborate.
Later in the debate, Chen pounced on Lien''''s strategy.
"Do you really have to let the war begin? Then after you fight, seek peace?" Chen asked. "To be a nation''''s leader, can you be so superficial, so naive?"
Chen, who often goes by the nickname "Ah-Bian," said a leader must plan on negotiating before fighting a war, not vice versa.
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