A senior mainland official in charge of Taiwan affairs talked to
journalists in Beijing Friday about what he called a "vicious and
tarnishing" attacks made by a few "Taiwan independence" separatists
on the proposed Anti-Secession Law.?
Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist
Party of China Central Committee and the director of the Taiwan
Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the Anti-Secession
Law enacted by the National People's Congress (NPC) "gives full
expression to our consistent position of doing our utmost efforts
with maximum sincerity for a peaceful reunification and, at the
same time, demonstrate the common will of the entire Chinese people
to safeguard China's state sovereignty and territorial integrity
while never allowing the 'Taiwan independence', thus winning
universal agreement and support of the Chinese from home and
abroad."
"However, a few separatists seeking "Taiwan independence"
ulteriorly distort the Anti-Secession Law by all means, mislead and
cheat the majority of the Taiwan compatriots, and stir up feelings
against the mainland," he said.
"They even said to take further actions to sabotage
cross-Straits relations," he said. According to Chen, the "Taiwan
independence" separatist forces again attempted to push the
cross-Straits relations to the dangerous edge, arousing indignation
of the Chinese from home and abroad.
Chen quoted Chinese President Hu Jintao's speech on the
cross-Straits relations made on March 4, saying that "The 1.3
billion Chinese people, including the Taiwan compatriots, all love
peace and sincerely hope to maintain peace and live in peace. They
share an even greater hope that the flesh-and-blood brother in one
family can resolve their own problems peacefully."
"The people long for peace and the country needs stability. As
long as there is still a ray of hope for peaceful reunification,
we'll do our utmost to achieve it," Chen quoted President Hu as
saying.
Chen said that the Anti-Secession Law is a law to strive for the
peaceful solution to the Taiwan problem and the realization of
China's peaceful reunification. It clearly defines that the
realization of the national reunification by peaceful means best
comply with the fundamental interests of compatriots across the
Taiwan Straits. The State will show utmost sincerity and make
utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification.
Most parts of the law encourage and promote the personnel
exchanges and economic and cultural communications across the
Taiwan Straits, promote the 'three direct links,' safeguard the
legal interests of the Taiwan compatriots, actively push forward
the equal consultation and negotiation across the Taiwan Straits,
thus fully demonstrating the sincerity that all issues can be
talked on the basis of the one-China principle, he said.
Wang Zhaoguo, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, made
explanations on the Anti-Secession Law on March 8.
Chen quoted Wang's explanation as saying that:
"Taiwan compatriots are our own brothers and sisters. No one is
more desirous of achieving a peaceful reunification than we
are."
-- "Using non-peaceful means to stop secession in defense of our
sovereignty and territorial integrity would be our last resort when
all our efforts for a peaceful reunification should prove
futile."
-- "Such means and measures would be completely targeted against
the 'Taiwan independence' forces rather in any way against our
Taiwan compatriots."
Chen said that "'Taiwan independence' forces do not represent
Taiwan compatriots. We believe that the majority of the Taiwan
compatriots can objectively and rationally understand the
legislative purpose, and feel our pure-hearted wish to maintain
cross-Straits peace, to improve cross-Straits relations, and to
safeguard the mutual interests of compatriots on both sides of the
Taiwan Straits."
"People across the Taiwan Straits belong to the same family,
sharing the same ancestral root and the same glory and humiliation.
After experiencing sorrow and happiness, separation and reunion,
they still cannot cut their recognition of the same blood bond,"
Chen said.
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The maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits
and the promotion of common development and prosperity conform to
the common interests of the people across the Straits, he said.
"Taiwan independence is a blind alley," Chen stressed.
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Thanks to concerted efforts made by compatriots on the both sides,
the cross-Straits situation has shown signs of detente," he said.
"We sincerely hope Taiwan compatriots and insightful people from
all walks of life will not be cheated and bewitched by separatist
forces seeking 'Taiwan independence'," he said.
???
Instead, all should join hands and make common efforts so as to
push forward the cross-Straits situation to move towards peace and
stability, he said.
???
"Only when the people across the Taiwan Straits can join in hands,
unite together and remove disturbances, can the bright future for
the improvement and development of the cross-Straits relations be
created," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2005)