April 4, 2000 ---
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April 4, 2000 ---
Beijing’s top negotiator with Taiwan will not attend the inauguration of the President-elect Chen Shui-bian on May 20, the Hong Kong-based Wen Hui Pao daily quoted a mainland Chinese official as reporting yesterday.

Chen said after his victory in the March 18 presidential election that it would be conducive to the development of cross strait relations if Wang Daohan, chairman of mainland China’s Association for Relations Across Taiwan Strait, were to come to Taiwan on May 20 to attend his inauguration.

The mainland Chinese official said that no matter what national name Taiwan uses during the inaugural ceremony. “We will not attend.”

The official indicated that Chen has not yet definitely recognized the one-China principle and that the Democratic Progressive Party that Chen belongs to has not yet abandoned its Taiwan-independence platform. These are the main factors that hinder the resumption of cross-strait talks on the unification of China, he said.