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No foreign pressure on exercises, says Taiwan

TAIPEI: Taiwan's Premier Lien Chan said on Friday the island's decision to put off planned war games near China had not been made under pressure from foreign countries.

"It is not because related countries expressed concerns that we took action," Lien told parliament, broadcast on state-funded television.

"Members of the parliament, who represent the will of the people, had raised concerns over this issue and the government was very serious about it," he said.

On Monday, the United States said Taiwan's planned exercises on the island of Matsu, just 5.5 miles (8.8 km) from China, would not help reduce regional tensions.

Taiwan, which said the planned exercises on Matsu were annual routine test-firing of weapons systems and ammunitions, on Tuesday decided to postpone the war games until June 30.

"If similar situations, where the military wants to hold exercises, happen in a non-democratic country, can the exercises be smoothly put off?" Lien said.

"We can make a good comparison between the two sides (Taiwan and China)," he said, adding that the postponed exercises were different from China's earlier intimidating war games.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait rose in March after China, Taiwan's arch-rival since the Nationalists fled to the island after losing the civil war in 1949 to the communists, conducted a series of menacing war games from March 8 to March 25.

The United States sent its biggest Asian battle-fleet since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 to waters near Taiwan to show support for the island as it prepared to hold its first direct presidential election on March 23.

Incumbent President Lee Teng-hui won the election with 54 percent of the vote.

China and Taiwan have since talked of the need for dialogue to form the basis of a new, trusting relationship.-Reuter