A spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office on Tuesday accused
Chen Shuibian, leader of the Taiwan authority, of recently
accelerating attempts to split Taiwan from China.
The spokesman said the mainland is watching the Taiwan situation
and is "on high alert for splittist attempts of Chen Shuibian."
Chen has said that he will find a solution to Taiwan's position
in the coming four years. To this end, he caused a stir by talking
about finding a “shortened name for the country” and attempted to
register Taiwan as a United Nations member state.
The spokesman also accused Chen of trying to make use of the
ongoing Athens Paralympics to provoke the mainland and heighten
cross-Straits tensions.
Chen lied in his May 20 speech when he said that his
constitutional change would not involve reunification or
independence, said the spokesman.
The spokesman quoted a communiqué from the just-concluded 4th
Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of
China. Solving the Taiwan issue and realizing complete
reunification of the country is a sacred task for the Party.
According to the document, the Party will adhere to the basic
principles of peaceful reunification and one country, two systems,
as well as the eight-point proposal on developing relations across
the Taiwan Straits and promoting peaceful reunification.
However, the mainland will resolutely oppose "Taiwan
independence" and protect the unity of the country.
On September 15, Zhang Mingqing, spokesman of the State Council
Taiwan Affairs Office, issued a strongly worded warning to Chen
Shuibian.
"We'll keep watch on Chen Shuibian's new moves. If he has broken
the bottom line, we will pay any cost to safeguard our national
sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Zhang.
(Xinhua News Agency September 22,
2004)