South China Morning Post

March 26, 1997

Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui said the island would never allow itself to be "eaten up" by China as Tibet had been.

Members of a group of 18 National Assembly deputies from the opposition New Party, who met Mr Lee at the Presidential Office, said yesterday the President cited Tibet and Germany as examples Taiwan would not follow in the course of seeking reunification with the mainland.

Before fleeing Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama signed 17 pacts with Beijing only to see his homeland overrun by Chinese troops after just three roads had been built, Mr Lee was quoted as saying.

He said the Dalai Lama had signed agreements with Beijing as an ignorant teenager only to end up seeing his homeland get "eaten up" by the communists.

Taipei would not be so naive and would continue to develop, lest it lose statehood and people were forced into exile like the Dalai Lama.

The President is expected to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader tomorrow.

Mr Lee also told his guests his warning last year to Taiwan businessmen not to over-invest in the mainland was issued for the sake of maintaining national security.

"Doing business and making money is a private matter, but national survival concerns the entire populace," he said.