The Chinese government will accept and consider earnestly proposals on promoting the reunification of the motherland through legal means, a mainland official said here Wednesday.

Li Weiyi, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's central government, made the remarks in response to a question on whether the Chinese mainland would institute a law on national reunification at a regular briefing.

The spokesman said that it is a sincere expectation and sacred mission for the whole nation, including the Taiwan compatriots, as well as a common aspiration for the whole Chinese people, including overseas Chinese, to realize a complete reunification of the motherland.

The Chinese government will earnestly take into consideration and accept proposals put forward by personages and organizations from all circles on promoting the reunification of the motherland, including those on promoting the reunification through legal means, the spokesman said

Chen Shui-bian's authorities recently set up an interactive framework panel for "peace and stability" across the Taiwan Straits, which will be transformed into a committee with the aim of formulating "peace and development outlines" across the Straits, intended to replace the "National Unification Council".

When asked by the press to comment on the issue, Li said the mainland always maintains the two sides across the Straits should negotiate equally on the basis of the one-China principle, so as to end the hostile situation across the Straits. If Chen Shui-bian does not follow the one-China principle, the mainland and Taiwan cannot start to negotiate and the Taiwan Straits will not have a peaceful and stable prospect, Li said.

Currently, the fundamental obstacle to cross-Straits peace talks is Chen's stubborn "Taiwan Independence" separatist stance as "one country on each side," he said.

Chen shouts for "holy war against China" on one hand and asserts to establish an interactive framework for "peace and stability" across the Taiwan Straits on the other hand, which utterly cheats world public opinion, he said.

Li also denied a report that Taiwan's Chen Shui-bian sent a "secret envoy" to Beijing in March.

"I don't have any materials on the 'secret envoy' issue," Li said.

Chen has no choice but to accept the one-China principle if he really wishes for peace, stability and development of the relations between the two sides across the Taiwan Straits, he said.

"We don't care who is elected as Taiwanese leader. We only care whether he accepts the one-China principle," he said.

Li said after the leader election in Taiwan, the mainland will stick to the current policies towards Taiwan on the basis of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems."

The mainland objects to Taiwan's allowing foreign ships to participate in transportation across the Taiwan Straits, since this violates the principle that foreign ships should not provide domestic transportation service, he said.

The mainland cannot accept the internationalization of cross-Straits sea routes, Li said, urging for realization of "three direct links" across the Taiwan Straits as early as possible.

Also at yesterday's news briefing, Wang Liji, deputy director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office with the Ministry of Health, said the Chinese government welcomes Taiwan medical and health experts to join the Chinese delegation to attend the 57th World Health Assembly in May this year.

Wang said that the Foreign Ministry spokesman clearly stated the stand of the central government on Tuesday on the question of Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly as an observer.

Wang said that the central government has been always concerned over the health of the Taiwan people and has always promoted exchanges and cooperation on health across the Straits to help Taiwan acquire relevant information.

With the permission of the central government, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) have been to Taiwan several times to learn about SARS and other diseases there, and the Taiwan experts have also participated in the WHO special meetings on SARS and cancer on the basis of the consultation between the Chinese mainland and the WHO.

Wang pointed out that the Chinese delegation to attend the assembly consists of experts from Hong Kong and Macao, but regrettably, the Taiwan authorities have not made a positive response to the mainland so far.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2004)