Beijing has vowed to "deal with any possible complicated
situation" after Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian yesterday reiterated
his plan to scrap the island's council and guidelines on
unification with the mainland.
Chen Yunlin, minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the
State Council, called the Taiwan leader's scheme a "dangerous
sign of escalation of Taiwan secessionist activities."
He said cross-Straits ties will be severely dented and the
fundamental interests of Taiwan compatriots will be ultimately
damaged if Chen Shui-bian insists on the plan.
"We will do our best with utmost sincerity to maintain
cross-Straits peace and stability while resolutely opposing any
form of pro-independence activities," the minister said.
"We'll keep close watch on the development of the situation and
prepare to deal with any possible complicated situation at any
time."
Chen Yunlin made the remarks yesterday on the sidelines of his
meeting with Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) delegation led by Tseng
Yung-chuan, director of the party's central policy committee.
His warning echoed the mainland's statements slamming Chen
Shui-bian as a "troublemaker" and "saboteur" of cross-Straits ties
and peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ignoring the mainland's condemnation, Chen Shui-bian has refused
to go back on his decision to dismantle the "national unification
council" and the 15-year-old guidelines on unification with the
mainland.
In Taipei, the Taiwan leader reportedly told visiting US
Congressman Rob Simmons yesterday that the council and the
guidelines should be abolished "since they exclude the option of
independence for Taiwan."
Last month, Chen Shui-bian first proposed scrapping the
guidelines and the council, which was set up in October 1990 by
then KMT authorities as the island's top policy-making body on
ultimate unification with the mainland.
If Chen Shui-bian dissolved the council and the guidelines, he
would break a promise he made in his 2000 inauguration speech not
to do so.
His plan has even caused unease in Washington, the island's
major arms supplier, with the Department of State emphasizing it
opposes any unilateral changes to the current situation.
Taiwan's newspapers reported on Tuesday that a senior official
at the "national security council," Dennis Wilder, met Chen in
Taipei last week but failed to convince him to drop his plan to
scrap the guidelines.
In Washington on Tuesday, Department of State spokesman Adam
Ereli said he was unaware of such a trip, adding the US was still
standing by the status quo.
"We reiterate the view that Taiwan needs to refrain from taking
actions that can be seen as unilateral efforts to change the status
quo," Ereli told reporters.
Despite political tension across the Straits, Chen Yunlin
stressed yesterday that the mainland will actively and
pragmatically push for the establishment of regular cross-Straits
passenger and cargo charter flights and mainland tourists' travel
to the island.
He told the KMT delegation that the National Tourism
Administration would soon release a regulation on mainland
residents' package tours to Taiwan, in which the island will be
officially listed as a tourism destination.
The regulation will be an important step in promoting tours to
Taiwan after the mainland lifted its ban on?tourists visiting
Taiwan last May.
Chen Yunlin urged non-government talks on cross-Straits charter
flights and tourism to pave way for their realization at an early
date.
Tseng said there are "no real hindrances" to establishing
cross-Straits charters and allowing mainland tourists to visit
Taiwan.
"The KMT is willing to play a bridging role between the
authorities across the Straits" to facilitate progress on the two
issues, he added. Tseng urged the DPP authorities to reciprocate
the mainland's goodwill.
(China Daily February 23, 2006)