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)