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Taipei urged to see handover as model

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Beijing yesterday urged Taiwan to treat the handover of Hong Kong as the model for its reunification with China, promising it greater prosperity under the communist flag.

'Through one country, two systems, the peaceful reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can be realised, the people of Taiwan would not only not suffer any loss, but they would gain from the strong support of the mainland,' Xinhua (the New China News Agency) said.

'[They] would enjoy with the people of the motherland the same international respect and glory,' it said.

The commentary came just hours before Taiwan is to begin two days of military exercises and other protests to say 'no' to China.

Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui is expected to inspect troops today and deliver a statement on cross-strait relations at the end of the two-day war games which will take place in southern Taiwan.

The military exercises - codenamed Chinese Glory No 13 - will showcase not only the high-tech Patriot missiles, but a host of other advanced weapons including the United States F-16 and French Mirage fighters, radar-evading Stealth frigates from France, an array of imported and locally-made missiles and Taiwan's own Indigenous Defence Fighter.

A statement issued yesterday by Taiwan's Defence Ministry insisted the drills had nothing to do with Hong Kong's handover.

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