Chinese Embassy slams Corbin over Taiwan visit
`His trip to Taiwan was inappropriate and damaged China's interest’
-- Mr Zhou Xing, press officer
Guyana Chronicle
August 1, 2004
THE Chinese Embassy in Guyana has expressed strong concern about a recent visit to Taiwan by Opposition and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader, Mr. Robert Corbin.
In a statement yesterday, press officer of the Chinese Embassy, Mr. Zhou Xing expressed “strong dissatisfaction” over the visit.
“We are very concerned with Mr. Corbin’s visit to Taiwan,” said Mr. Zhou.
He further rejected a statement by Corbin at a press conference last week that his visit was a “private” one.
As the PNCR Leader and Opposition Leader of the Parliament, “his identity can’t be changed by simple words like `private’ visit, Zhou said.
He pointed out that “the Taiwan question bears directly on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
The Chinese government highly appreciates that the Guyanese government and people have long insisted on a `One China’ policy and supporting China’s unification.
“Indeed, it is the political foundation for the friendly relations and co-operation between China and Guyana and is in their mutual interests”, the embassy spokesman said.
He noted Corbin’s explanation that his trip to observe “business developments in Taiwan” was in no conflict with the PNCR `One China’ policy.
According to Zhou, the Taiwanese authority has never ceased its separatist attempt by sabotaging the relations and friendship between China and countries that have diplomatic relations on the pretext of developing economic ties.
He said he hopes the PNCR can take concrete action “to diminish the negative impact of the visit.”
Corbin told reporters here that on his recent personal visit to Taiwan, he was interested in that country’s economic development which has rice and sugar as its two main resources.
Corbin, accompanied by PNCR member, Mr Stanley Ming, travelled to Taiwan while on an `outreach’ tour to Antigua and the United Kingdom.
At a press conference at the party’s Congress Place headquarters on Thursday, he said he was interested to know that Taiwan has been rated the seventh fastest growing economy in the world based on the rice and sugar it produces.
He said that it was on this basis that that country’s economy has made tremendous advancement and he believes there could be lessons for Guyana from what has happened in Taiwan.
Corbin said the experience could be useful in helping to pattern the PNCR programme for the reconstruction of the country.