Chinese lawmakers described the enaction of anti-secession law as "extremely necessary" and "very timely" at their group discussions Sunday attended by the top legislator Wu Bangguo.

The draft law was submitted on Saturday for the first deliberation to the ongoing 13th session of the Standing Committee of the 10th People's National Congress (NPC) held from Dec. 25 to 29.

The members of the NPC Standing Committee unanimously agreed that Taiwan is an indispensable part of China, and the Chinese mainland has made a sustained effort to promote the relationship across the Taiwan Straits for the peaceful reunification.

In recent years, the activities of secessionists in the name of "Taiwan Independence" have become the largest obstacle to develop the relationship across the straits and the peaceful reunification, as well as the most serious threat to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, according to the lawmakers.

All social strata in the Chinese mainland and many overseas Chinese repeatedly expressed their strong wills to use legal means to fight against the Taiwan secessionist forces and realize the peaceful reunification of China. Quite a few Chinese lawmakers and senior government advisors have brought bills, proposals and motions before the NPC.

In order to oppose and check the Taiwan secessionists, promote the peaceful reunification of China, safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and maintain the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, it is "extremely necessary" and "very timely" to enact the anti-secession law, said lawmakers.

The lawmakers held that the condition for enacting anti-secession law has become mature. China's Constitution has provided a constitutional basis for formulating the law against secession. The important thoughts on Taiwan question, raised by three generations of the group leadership of the central government, especially by Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, together with a series of state policies, provided explicit guidelines and policy foundation for the formulation of the law.

Some research fruits made by law experts were also helpful for the law enaction, the lawmakers said.

They said the enaction of the law against secession demonstrated that the NPC will legalize its policies on Taiwan, which is also the basic requirement of governing the country by law. It will be conductive to mobilize all the Chinese citizens, including Taiwan patriots to jointly push forward the motherland's peaceful reunification cause, and will help maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and even the whole Asia-Pacific region.

The lawmakers spoke highly of the draft law of anti-secession, saying that the draft law fully implemented the basic policies on Taiwan, such as "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems". The draft law reflected our utmost sincerity to pursue peaceful reunification, and at the same time demonstrated that all Chinese citizens' common resolutions of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity and never allowing any attempts to separate Taiwan from China.

The lawmakers unanimously suggested that the draft law of anti-secession be submitted to the third annual session of the 10th National People's Congress to be held early in 2005, for further deliberation.

The lawmakers also discussed the draft law on notary and draft decision on expert testimony management Sunday afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2004)