President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday turned down a request from the Kinmen County government to expand links with China, saying national security can't be sacrificed.
"Now is the time to review the whole policy of the `small three links,' which was launched on Jan. 1, 2001," Chen said during a visit to the Kinmen County government headquarters.
"However, I must tell all residents of Kinmen that when considering the country's security, Kinmen must have links to Taiwan instead of China," Chen said.
"National security cannot be partially disregarded," Chen said. "The government cannot ignore national defense issues just to meet Kinmen's needs."
As Sept. 3 was Armed Forces Day, the Presidential Office made this week Military Affairs Week and arranged a series of drills to improve citizens knowledge of national defense.
After examining the combined operations of the army, navy and air force yesterday morning, Chen arrived in Kinmen to visit frontline soldiers and hear local officials' views.
Chen first went to the Kinmen County government. Many prominent local figures including Kinmen Mayor Lee Chu-feng (
They also asked the government to execute the policy of demilitarizing Kinmen to aid area's drive to become a center for international tourism and cross-strait operations.
"Kinmen has completed its mission of resisting the Chinese communists, and now Kinmen is given the mission of being a peace bridge," Lee said.
"There are 3.4 million individual trips between Taiwan and China every year, and Kinmen should be the travelers' choice," Lee said.
Chen said, "Kinmen plays an important role in the cross-strait relationship, especially in the government's short-term plan.
"Unless there is positive response from across the Strait, the small links must remain as is. This is a difficult matter, but Kinmen people have to understand and cooperate with the government," he said.
Under the "small three links," Kinmen and Matsu residents are allowed to sail directly to Xiamen and Fuzhou, but residents on Taiwan can only return to Taiwan via Kinmen and Matsu through specially approved programs, such as the family reunion program run during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Kinmen residents have been hoping the government would allow all travelers to return to Taiwan via Kinmen, so that Kinmen, whose economic development has been limited due to military considerations, can prosper.
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