Chinese postpone visit to Ukraine after Taiwan official appears in Kyiv (08/25/96)

Chinese postpone visit to Ukraine after Taiwan official appears in Kyiv

by Marta Kolomayets
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - An official Chinese delegation has indefinitely postponed a visit to Ukraine, presumably to protest the August 20 secret visit of Taiwanese Vice-President Lien Chan to Kyiv, an event that has caused a political uproar between China and Taiwan.

"Ukraine's agreement to accept Mr. Lien's visit has constituted a serious violation of its commitment made on the question of Taiwan in the communiqué made on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ukraine," said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing on August 21. However, the press attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Kyiv did not give any official reason for the cancellation of the Chinese delegation's journey to Ukraine.

But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Hennadiy Udovenko said "nothing should cloud relations between Ukraine and China," adding that the "private visit of Lien Chan to Kyiv - on a private invitation - should not be a reason for the decline of relations between Ukraine and China."

"Kyiv regards Taiwan as an inseparable part of China," said the foreign minister, who regards the postponement of the Chinese delegation's visit as temporary. Ukraine recognizes the People's Republic of China, but does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The Chinese government was convinced that the visit of Mr. Lien was "obviously made for political reasons," according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, who also said that China was lodging an official protest with the Ukrainian government.

Ukrainian government officials from both the Foreign Ministry and the presidential administration have denied that Mr. Lien met with any Ukrainian government officials. Although there had been rumors that the Taiwanese diplomat met with President Leonid Kuchma, the Ukrainian leader's press service on August 21 denied any such meeting.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on August 20 said it had no information regarding Mr. Lien and could not even confirm that he was on Ukrainian territory, but later in the day, a Ukrainian Embassy official in Beijing confirmed that the Taiwanese government official was currently in Kyiv. The diplomat added that Mr. Lien's visit was completely unofficial in nature.

Mr. Lien's exact whereabouts had been the subject of intense speculation since he boarded a plane in New York on August 17, although a Taiwanese government spokesman confirmed that he had traveled to a "third country."

On August 20, Interfax-Ukraine reported that the Taiwanese official had spent the day in Kyiv as the guest of Kyiv State University Rector Viktor Skopenko and had received an honorary degree from the university.

Mr. Lien, who was a professor at Taipei University prior to his government appointment, also signed two agreements between Taipei and Kyiv universities during his visit. Mr. Skopenko added that he had invited the scholar to Ukraine more than six months ago, before he was named vice-president of Taiwan. "Lien Chan was my personal guest in Kyiv for one day, and he is scheduled to go home on Wednesday, August 21," he said.

Interfax-Ukraine also reported that Mr. Lien spent several days in the Crimea, where he had unofficial meetings with local government officials, including members of the presidium of the Crimean Parliament, but this could not be confirmed.

The Chinese government delegation, which was to be led by Li Tieying, Politburo member and head of the State Commission for Economic Restructuring, had been planning to come to Ukraine for a five-day visit beginning on August 21. The delegation was not only to have met with President Kuchma and Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, but was also scheduled to take part in fifth anniversary celebrations of Ukrainian Independence Day this weekend.

"Lien Chan was invited to Ukraine in a private capacity, and the Ukrainian government's one-China policy remains unchanged," said a Ukrainian Embassy official in Beijing. China strictly prohibits any country with which it has diplomatic relations to begin any kind of official relationship with Taiwan.

Taiwan, which has diplomatic relations with only 30 countries, is trying to court states of Eastern Europe. To date, it is recognized by mostly cash-strapped African states, luring them with its vast reserves.

Ukraine is China's second largest trading partner after Russia, according to the Xinhua news agency, which reports that bilateral trade with China reached almost $1 billion last year. Ukraine's trade with Taiwan amounts to about $225 million a year.