Chen's Vatican trip angers China
It comes amid speculation Taiwan could lose its links with the Holy See
China has protested against Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's plans to
attend Pope John Paul II's funeral.
A Chinese spokesman expressed "strong dissatisfaction" at Italy for granting
Mr Chen a visa to go to the Vatican.
Italy has diplomatic ties with Beijing, rather than Taiwan, which China sees
as part of its territory.
Mr Chen's visit comes amid speculation the Vatican is ready to switch
allegiance to China, after their ties were severed in 1951.
China's foreign ministry confirmed the country would not send any
representative to the funeral.
Spokesman Qin Gang also complained that President Chen would use the trip to
the Vatican to promote his goal, as Beijing sees it, of formal independence
for Taiwan.
"His real intention is to take this opportunity to engage in secessionist
activity and create 'two Chinas or one China and one Taiwan,' which is what
we are opposed to," he said.
The deputy head of China's state-approved Catholic organisation, the Chinese
Catholic Patriotic Association, was also angry about the move.
"The decision to let Chen Shui-bian attend has hurt the feelings of the
Chinese people, including five million Catholics," said Liu Bainian.
If Mr Chen goes ahead with his trip, he will become the first Taiwanese
president to visit the Vatican - one of only 25 nations that officially
recognises Taipei diplomatically, and the only one in Europe
He is scheduled to leave Taipei on Thursday for Rome, and stay in the Vatican
until after Friday's funeral.
The BBC's Taiwan correspondent says that while it will be a short visit, it
is something of a propaganda coup for President Chen.
Television pictures will show him taking part in an event alongside statesmen
from around the world, and in Taiwan it will be seen as an important step in
the island's campaign to be recognised as a separate entity from China, our
correspondent says.
Policy switch mooted
Since the Pope's death at the weekend, the issue of the Vatican's recognition
of Taiwan - and its continuing rift with China - has again come under the
spotlight.
On Tuesday, a senior Hong Kong bishop said the Holy See might be ready to cut
ties with Taipei in order to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.
Bishop Joseph Zen said the Vatican could change allegiances if China's
communist authorities were "willing to grant real freedom to the Church in
mainland China".
China's estimated 13m Catholics are currently forced to attend
state-controlled churches or worship in secret.
But Beijing reiterated on Tuesday that it was only willing to re-establish
diplomatic links with the Vatican if it cut ties with Taiwan and did not use
religion to interfere in China's internal affairs.
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附上 dreye的全文不通順翻譯:
中國已經抗議台灣總統陳水扁計畫看護羅馬教皇約翰‧保羅II年代葬禮。
一位中國發言人為准許陳先生簽證對義大利表示"強烈的不滿"去梵諦岡。
義大利有與北京的外交關係，而不是中國視為它的領土的部分的台灣。
陳先生的訪問在思考中來在他們的領帶在1951年被切斷之后，梵諦岡準
備改變忠誠到中國。
中國的外交部確認國家將不把任何典型送到葬禮。
發言人秦幫也抱怨陳總統將使用梵諦岡的旅行促進他的目標， 當北京看見台灣的正式的
獨立的它時。
"他的真正的意圖是借此機會從事secessionist 活動並且創造' 兩中國或者一個中國和一
台灣， '是反對我們是的"，他說。
中國的州批准的天主教組織，中國天主教愛國合作的副局長，也因行動而生氣。
"決定讓陳水扁參加已經傷害中國民眾的感情，包括500萬名天主教徒"，劉Bainian 說。
如果陳先生進行他的旅行，他將成為第一個台灣總統訪問梵諦岡 - 外交上官方認出台北
的只25個國家之一，以及在歐洲的唯一的
他計畫離開在星期四的台北去羅馬，並且呆在梵諦岡直到在星期五的葬禮之后。
英國廣播公司的台灣通訊記者說當它將是短暫訪問時，這是給陳總統的有點象宣傳突然行
動。
電視照片將顯示他與來自全世界的政治家並肩參加一次事件， 並且在台灣它將被視為在
被認為是一把實體與分開中國的島的運動裡的一個重要的台階，我們的通訊記者說。
討論的政策開關
從羅馬教皇的死起在週末，梵諦岡的台灣的承認的問題 - 以及它繼續與中國的裂縫 - 再
次已經受聚光燈影響了。
在星期二，為了與北京一起建立外交關係一高級香港主教說聖座可能準備減少綁緊台北。
主教約瑟夫禪說如果中國的共產主義者威權"願意給予在中國大陸的教會真正的自由"，梵
諦岡能改變忠誠。
中國估計的13米天主教徒目前被迫祕密參加國家控制的教堂或者崇拜。
除了北京在星期二重述， 重建外交與梵諦岡的聯繫只是願意的， 如果它切，綁緊台灣，
沒使用宗教干涉中國的內部事務。
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