Taiwan's discriminative trade policy, not the one-China policy of the Chinese mainland, is the major reason preventing the cross-Straits trade normalization, said Li Weiyi, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office at a press conference in Beijing Wednesday.

"The assertion of Taiwan authorities totally turns things upside down," Li said, commenting on their charge that trade abnormality across the Straits resulted from the delay of bilateral negotiations due to political preconditions of the Chinese mainland.

He pointed out that the Chinese mainland is Taiwan's largest export destination while Taiwan is the second largest import source of the Chinese mainland. But up to September this year, Chinese mainland's accumulated trade deficit to Taiwan has reached US$261 billion owing to the intentional, restrictive measures by Taiwan authorities.

Taiwan authorities have launched a large amount of restrictions on products and services from the Chinese mainland, which seriously blocked the trade normalization between them, he said.

Meanwhile, Li pointed out that Taiwan, an inseparable part of China, is not eligible to enter the UN, an organization of only sovereign states.

He said that China's UN membership represents both the mainland and Taiwan, which has been resolved at political, legal and procedural level already for a long time.

The spokesman said the idea of applying for membership of UN using the name of Taiwan was another step Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian will make to push for independence.

"However, any moves running counter to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and Resolution 2758 made by the UN General Assembly and challenging the one-China principle widely acknowledged internationally could by no means be agreed and supported by member countries of the UN," the spokesman said.

Li also pointed out that the attempt of Chen's education reform is to change Taiwan's education into ideological education for "Taiwan independence." Behind all his activities he wants to increase tension and hostility across the Straits, he said.

"The facts have showed that Chen has never stopped the attempt to promote 'Taiwan independence'," he said.

Taiwan local media recently quoted Chen as saying that Taiwan needs a great reform of education to settle "the problem of self-identity."

Taiwan's "education department" is trying to amend history textbooks for high school students following ideas of "Taiwan independence," according to local media reports.

Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, a fact recognized in the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, Li said.

The Cairo Declaration was signed by leaders of three allied nations, China, the United States and Britain, on December 1, 1943, demanding that all the territories Japan occupied from China, such as the northeastern parts of China, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, be returned to China.

Commenting on Chen's recent remarks that claimed Taiwan to be a "sovereign state" and needing a fresh "constitution," the spokesman said: "This has once again exposed Chen's true face of seeking independence."

"If Chen Shui-bian dares to use the so-called 'constitutional reform' to create any major incidents aimed at independence, we will resolutely and completely crush such attempts at all costs," Li warned.

He said Taiwan was never a "sovereign state," as backed up by historical fact and laws and it is widely recognized by the international community that Taiwan is an integral part of the Chinese territory.

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2004)