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In a renewed effort to touch the sensitive nerve of the Chinese people on one-China principle, Taiwan's "foreign minister'' Eugene Chien went to the United States last week on the pretext of attending the 22nd American Enterprise Institute World Forum in Beaver Creek, Colorado, which ended on Sunday.

It was reported that Chien met a string of US government officials, including Vice-President Dick Cheney, on the sidelines of the forum.

Despite the low-key the island and the United States have kept the visit, the official status of Chien reveals the indisputable truth that the Taiwan authorities are determined to create two Chinas in a world where the concept of one-China now prevails.

In fact, the Taiwan authorities have never hesitated to use every opportunity either at home or abroad to breach the one-China principle and lead the island further away from the road of reunification with the motherland.

A glance over the moves of the Taiwan authorities in recent months when the mainland and the island have been fighting the SARS epidemic can perhaps better help people see how the killer disease has readily been exploited by the Taiwan authorities to serve their political purposes.

Throughout the fight against the disease, the island's authorities have used every chance to throw mud at the central government.

In early April, the island's "department of health'' placed a newspaper advertisement that stated: "Both SARS and bandit spies come from China but, with everyone's hard work, the cases of SARS infection are less than the number of bandit spies (in Taiwan).''

By confusing a public health issue with cross-Straits relations, the authorities apparently intended to shirk their responsibilities on controlling SARS on the island.

However, this was only wishful thinking by them. The public have long been fed up with such dirty tricks. Moreover, as the authorities displayed increasing incompetence at controlling SARS, much to the depression of the Taiwan authorities as well as the general public, social dissatisfaction flared.

In May before the World Health Organization's 56th general assembly approached, the Taiwan authorities miscalculated based on the assumption that the spread of SARS would help them get into the United Nations-affiliated world body.

However, the miscalculation went against the will of the world body, and the island failed for the seventh time to gain WHO observer status on May 19.

Instead of examining their unrealistic political ambitions, the Taiwan authorities again criticized others and tried to whip up resentment among the public.

Pretending to be unaware that only sovereign states qualify for WHO membership, they accused the international body of ignoring the health and welfare of the Taiwan people. Of course, as always, they did not forget to blast the mainland for exerting pressure on the WHO.

A few days later, still smarting over their failed attempt, the Taiwan authorities went back on their word and turned down an offer of aid from the mainland to assist the island's fight against SARS.

Moreover, due to their deep-rooted enmity and bias towards the mainland, the Taiwan authorities even vented their spleen on Taiwan people doing business with the mainland.

A highly discriminatory quarantine policy was introduced, whereby Taiwan business people coming back from SARS-affected areas such as the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong without official permission to do business on the mainland would be subject to quarantine in their homes.

To be more specific, some of the business people could be exempted from the home quarantine order simply only because they have the official permission of investing on the mainland, although they like others had travelled to SARS-affected mainland before.

The so-called level-B home quarantine order, a decision out of political concerns rather than health consideration, was immediately attacked by the Taiwan public due to the policy's silly logic and obvious unfairness.

However, all these unpopular moves by the Taiwan authorities are nothing when compared to Taiwan "president'' Chen Shui-bian's attempt to push for a referendum on whether the island should apply again to join the WHO.

One day after the WHO turned down Taiwan's latest application, Chen made the WHO bid referendum recommendation at the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Central Standing Committee meeting. The "cabinet'' is now planning such a referendum to coincide with next year's "presidential'' election.

By reviving the old topic of a referendum, which has neither a legal basis nor public support, Chen plays politics aiming at next year's election.

On the one hand, holding a referendum on a WHO bid will lay the foundation for the expansion of referendum topics to other far more important areas, such as Taiwan independence.

On the other hand, it could lead the public to criticize the opposition Kuomintang Party and the People First Party, for lack of patriotism. The opposition parties responded to Chen's remarks immediately with strong aversion. They accused him of playing a populist game, of seeking independence and of blurring the focus of the "presidential'' election.

It is crystal clear that Chen's real intention is to hold a referendum on independence eventually, so his proposition was naturally met with strong opposition from the mainland.

Fearing that Chen's provocative remarks could lead to tension across the Taiwan Straits, the United States also made clear through Douglas Paal, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, that Washington does not support such a referendum, the Taiwan-based United Daily News and Hong Kong-based Apple Daily reported on Saturday.

However, it seems that Chen is determined to take the wrong road.

In response to Paal's remarks, Chen reiterated his support for holding referendums, saying that this is "a basic right that cannot be taken away by anyone.''

In an apparent attempt to expand the area of referendums, Chen announced that he will make a formal statement on Friday this week on his administration's plan to hold a referendum aimed at building Taiwan into a nuclear-free area.

It is now very clear that Chen's series of moves to politicize the SARS issue and the ongoing political drama around holding referendums serve his purpose of impairing the relationship with the mainland on the one hand and attacking the opposition parties.

Chen's three-year rule, which was eulogized by his followers as the beginning of a democratic era in Taiwan, has thrown the island into such plights as an economic downturn, dwindling incomes for ordinary people and a high unemployment rate.

In order to seek a second term and defeat the increasingly united opposition camp, Chen and his party have to set up agenda that is supposed to help.

To divert people's attention from domestic woes, which will surely be highlighted by his rivals as the election campaign intensifies, Chen -- like every lame-duck politician -- will continue to try to draw fire on others as he has done before.

As the time for next year's election draws near, the public will witness more such examples. One thing Chen and his supporters may not know is that the more political tricks he plays, the sooner he will lose the support of Taiwan's people.

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