By urging a referendum on a declaration of independence from China, Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian earned a week of sound bites and fury from an agitated Beijing bent on reunification. Fiery threats of p.l.a. military action eased after conciliatory gestures from Chen, and the parties got back to the business of forging stronger economic ties.
Verbatim
"The P.L.A. is a great wall of steel capable of safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
CHI HAOTIAN,
China's Defense Minister, responding to Taiwan's latest pro-independence...
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