Ending The Odyssey
On his way back from the state visit to Latin America, President Chen Shui-bien turned down the US offer of a transit stop at Anchorage, Alaska and made his return trip by way of Tri-Polli, Libya and Batam, Indonesia before coming back to Taiwan on late hours of Friday, May 12th. He was expected to return on the 11th and thausands of people went to Taoyuen Airport to meet him. Again, the enthusiastic supporters of the President went to the airport on the 12th to hail the President for his miraculous diplomatic breakthrough, inspite of Chinese blockages and the US snubs. In Tri-Polli, he met with the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi who invited Mr. Chen to establish an forward post of Taiwan for north Africa there. Mr. Chen stayed overnight in Batam and met with the Governer and other officials. Of course, Chaina lodged strong protests to Lybia and Indonesia, saying that they acted against their agreement on “One China” principle. The Indonesian governer replied to their angry foreign minister that they need and welcome Taiwan to invest in Batam. Mr. Qaddafi commented that why China opposed Taiwan so much yet can keep huge trade with Taiwan, and why Chinese should keep such close military cooperation with Israel which has encroached on so much Arab land?
The Pan-Blues (KMT and the like), who fled from China and were viciously anti-communists but now have reversed their stance and seeking Chinese help in order to regain power in Taiwan and thus becoming the tool of Chinese ambition, criticized Mr. Chen’s visit with “Rogue” Qaddafi and so became a colleague of the enemy of the USA. But an interesting development is that the US Secretary of State Rice announced on May 15th, soon after Mr. Chen’s return to Taiwan, that the USA will restore it’s full diplomatic relation with Lybia and also removing Lybia from the list of the nations that “suppote terrorism”. May be, it’s a way for making up the US’s mishandlings in connection with Mr. Chen’s odyssey.