The chances of peacefully settling the Taiwan question could be reduced if Taipei continues to push hard for independence, a veteran backer of peaceful national reunification has warned.

Wang Kebin, secretary-general of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, expressed deep worries about such a possibility.

Going to the battlefield will be a misfortune for the whole Chinese nation, he said, because the use of force is anything but the best way to achieve the reunification between Taiwan and the mainland.

"That's why the Chinese Government has made unremitting efforts to reunify China through peaceful means in the best interests of all Chinese people including its Taiwan compatriots," he told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

"But we are very sorry to see a handful of die-hard separatist members led by Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian is waging a high-stakes campaign to increasingly challenge the mainland's bottom line on the issue."

Wang explained the potential use of force is just aimed at deterring the attempts of foreign forces to intervene in China's reunification bid and the plot by separatist forces to instigate Taiwan independence.

The council, a non-governmental organization, was established in September 1988 under the initiative of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who proposed the "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems" policies. It has gained wide support from overseas.

(China Daily January 14, 2004)