Taiwanese President Calls For New Era

TAIPEI: Taiwanese President Lee Teng-Hui took a conciliatory tone in his inaugural speech on Monday, quieting speculation that he might try to lead Taiwan further away from China. Instead of calling for independence from the mainland, Lee offered to "meet and directly exchange opinions with the Chinese Communist leaders to open a new era in dialogue and cooperation." Lee called Taiwanese independence unnecessary and impossible, and said he was convinced the Chinese people would reunite by the 21st century. Even though Lee's speech was released in advance, Beijing has yet to welcome Lee back to the fold. "There has been no official reaction from the Beijing government, and none of the Chinese papers covered the speech," says TIME Beijing correspondent Mia Turner. "China is never really going to be satisfied with Lee, and they see him as serving his own purposes. Chinese leaders are wary of Lee's offer to come to Beijing for talks -->