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Spokesman: Chen a threat to Straits peace
By Xing Zhigang (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-05-25 00:17 Beijing warned Monday that independence-minded
Chen Shui-bian still poses a big threat to cross-Straits peace and stability
despite conciliatory remarks in his May 20 inauguration address.
Zhang Mingqing, spokesman with the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State
Council, described the Taiwan leaders' softening rhetoric as a cloak for
independence.
Zhang Mingqing, spokesman for the
Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
[newsphoto/file] |
"Chen has apparently not pulled back from his dangerous lurch towards
independence... and is riding near the edge of the cliff," he told a regular
news conference.
The comments were Beijing's first official response to Chen's inaugural
speech, which the Taiwan leader himself believed will help clear up
misunderstandings across the Straits during his controvercial second four-year
term.
Zhang accused Chen of refusing to accept the one-China principle that both
the mainland and Taiwan are part of China.
Rather, he added, the content of the speech implied that Taiwan is an
independent country although Chen made no reference to the words of "one country
on each side (of the Straits)."
Beijing considers the one-China principle the basis for developing
cross-Straits relations and maintaining peace and stability between Taiwan and
the mainland.
"That suggests Chen has neither abandoned his pro-independence stance nor
demonstrated real sincerity to improve cross-Straits relations," the spokesman
said.
During his speech, Chen vowed within the next two years to work hard to
promote the island as a sovereign country in the international arena and bring
the island into the World Health Organization, which requires statehood for
membership.
Zhang said the mainland has noticed Chen did not reiterate the
pro-independence timetable to draft a new "constitution" through a referendum in
2006 and enact the document in 2008 due to great pressure from all sides.
"But Chen did use some vague phrases about territory and sovereignty in his
speech which carry a foreshadowing of later Taiwan independence," he told
reporters.
"So the root of tensions in the Taiwan Straits has not been eliminated and
the potential peril affecting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region
still exists."
In his inauguration speech, Chen did not completely rule out the possibility
of touching on issues related to sovereignty, territory and the subject of
reunification versus independence in the "constitutional" re-engineering
project.
The Taiwan leader said only that as "consensus has yet to be reached on" such
issues, he explicitly proposes that these particular issues be excluded from the
present "constitutional" reforms.
Beijing views the plan for adopting a new "constitution" for the island as
tantamount to a formal declaration of independence, which may trigger the use of
non-peaceful means.
Zhang referred to the strongly worded May 17 statement issued by his office
that warned that Taiwan independence does not lead to peace, nor national
dismemberment to stability.
"If Chen obstinately sticks to the wrong course and moves recklessly on along
the splittist road, then our only choice is to crush Taiwan independence schemes
firmly and thoroughly at any cost," he cautioned.
The spokesman also stressed that cross-Straits economic and trade exchanges
will be left unaffected in the future even though Chen will continue his
pro-independence push.
"As our long-standing policy, we will as always make every effort to promote
cross-Straits exchanges in the economic, trade and other fields and Taiwanese
investment (in the mainland) will not be affected," he added.
Zhang, however, did warn that Beijing does not welcome any Taiwanese business
people who "make money in the mainland and then go back to the island to support
Taiwan independence."
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