Office left speechless on cross-strait situation
A regular press briefing scheduled for today was cancelled by the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, with it saying it had nothing to add to recent statements on the cross-strait situation.
The cancellation preceded a statement issued by the office last night lashing out at Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian over his interview with The Washington Post.
On the eve of last Saturday's mass protest in Taipei against the election result, the office issued a warning that the mainland would not sit idly by if the situation got out of control.
Taiwanese voters demanded a recount and investigation into the assassination attempt on President Chen.
Although the office's spokespeople often merely repeat the official line at press briefings, the cancellation highlights the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue.
It was the second time this month that the office had cancelled a briefing. The first cancellation was due to the annual meeting of the National People's Congress. The office has come under strong pressure after increased cross-strait tensions in recent months.
In November, when Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed a referendum bill which could be used as a mechanism for breaking away from the mainland, the office was accused of misjudging the situation by failing to condemn the move.
Policy on Taiwan is set by a top-level group headed by President Hu Jintao. Office director Chen Yunlin is a member of the group.
