A senior diplomat of the Chinese embassy in Zambia described in
Lusaka a statement on Taiwan made by Zambian presidential
candidate, opposition leader Michael Sata, as dangerous.
Sata, one of the five presidential candidates fielded for the
September 28 elections, was quoted Monday by newspaper The
Post as saying during a rally last Saturday that "Taiwan is a
sovereign state."
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, counselor Du Yiping of
the Chinese embassy said the statement made by Sata, leader of the
Patriotic Front (PF), seriously damaged the traditional friendship
between China and Zambia.
Du said the statement also seriously interfered with China's
internal affairs.
It not only hurt the feelings of all Chinese people but also ran
contrary to the one-China policy pursued by the successive Zambian
governments and supported by the Zambian people, the counselor
said.
"We solemnly condemn his irresponsible wrong remarks and deeply
concerned over them," said Du.
"There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an
inalienable part of the Chinese territory, which has been widely
recognized by an overwhelming majority of countries in the world,"
said the counselor.
Also on Monday, Zambian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful
National Reunification of China condemned the statement, saying
Sata was ignorant to make such remarks.
In a statement, the council said the fact that Taiwan is an
inalienable part of the Chinese territory is widely recognized and
accepted by the international community.
Meanwhile, a senior official from the Zambian ruling party
termed Sata's statement as "nonsense."
Michael Mabenga, national chairman of the Movement for
Multiparty Democracy (MMD), said Monday in an exclusive interview
with Xinhua that "I strongly denounce such kind of irresponsible
statement made by Sata as it will destroy the cordial relationship
between Zambia and China."
(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2006)
