Iceland's courage

Washington, 14 October 1997

Yet another small nation has shown that it can stand up to China: Iceland. The island's Prime Minister, David Oddsson, ignored Chinese protests and went ahead with a meeting with Taiwan's vice president Lien Chan.

Mr. Lien visited Iceland from October 6th -- 11th and held meetings regarding strengthening economic relations between Iceland and Taiwan.

Prime Minister Oddsson stated that China's reaction had been totally out of proportion. He told the Chinese ambassador that Iceland was an independent nation, and would not let other people decide with whom it could talk.

During his 12-day trip, Mr. Lien also visited Austria, but had to cancel a visit to Spain, after Spain succumbed to Chinese pressure.

Iceland's courage is a shining example to those nations, including the United States and most nations of Western Europe, whose leaders lack such courage, and who let their policies be dictated by China.

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