European Parliament to Back 'Taiwan Independence'?

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, September 11, 2002

European Parliament to Back 'Taiwan Independence'?

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On September 5, European Parliament passed the "Report on Asian Strategy", thrusting into it the content of nine articles related to Taiwan, including support for Taiwan's "accession to the WHO and the demand for issuing "visas to Chen Shui-bian and other senior officials on the Island to visit Europe".

This is another action taken by European Parliament, following its resolution passed on March 14 which supports Taiwan's "accession to the WHO" as "observer", to make indiscreet remarks on the Taiwan issue and grossly interfere in China's internal affairs, thus exposing its substance of violating the one-China principle by conniving at and supporting the "Taiwan independence" forces and creating "two Chinas", or "one China, one Taiwan" in the international community.

The Taiwan-related Report Winks at and Supports "Taiwan Independence" Forces

It is well known that Taiwan is part of China and the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. But the content of the report containing nine Taiwan-related articles ignores facts, forcibly putting "China", the "People's Republic of China", on a par with "Taiwan", and claiming "it is hoped the executive committee would establish a trade office in Taiwan in reference to other newly founded offices in Asia". Obviously this means regarding Taiwan as a "state", endorsing the "one country on each side" theory of Chen Shui-bian in a disguise manner.

Under the signboard of "basic right of free travel", the report specially utters its "complaint about the injustice" regarding senior officials on Taiwan Island to visit Europe for activities, calling on various EU countries to "issue visas to Chen Shui-bian and all other senior officials, so that (they) can go to the EU countries for private visit". But facts have clearly indicated that Chen Shui-bian and other senior officials on the Island are carrying out activities everywhere by various means such as "head-of-government diplomacy", "political party diplomacy", "travel diplomacy" and "award-receiving diplomacy", their fundamental aim is to expand space for "Taiwan independence", this has nothing to do with the so-called "basic right of free travel".

The report also "supports Taiwan to participate in the WHO" under the anti-Aids pretext. But according to International Law, Taiwan, as a province of China, has no right at all to join international organizations, including the United Nations, and the WHO, which are only for sovereign states. It is not hard to see that the "report" advocates support for Taiwan's "accession to the WHO", speaking for Taiwan authorities in their "Taiwan independence diplomacy", this obviously is to protect the "Taiwan independence" activities carried out by Taiwan to create "two Chinas", or "one China, one Taiwan" in the international community.

The report has ulterior motives, it "expresses its concern over the increase of armaments between China and Taiwan. Unreasonably demands that "China dismantle the missiles deployed in various provinces along the Taiwan Straits and gradually remove its armaments" In fact, the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair, other countries and organizations have no right at all to interfere. It must be noted that the Chinese government has always adhered to the principles of "peaceful reunification, one country, two systems", and does not promise to renounce the use of force which is aimed mainly at the "Taiwan independence" forces in the Island and at intervention by international anti-China forces.

The European Parliament's Taiwan-related report, however, confounding right and wrong, spreads so-called theory of "China threat" and the "China attack on Taiwan" theory, distorting China's just actions--attacking "Taiwan independence" and safeguarding state sovereignty and territorial integrity-- as "hitting and pressing the public on the Island", and "affecting stability of the region". Its demands that the Chinese government "gradually remove armaments" is same as taking a liberal attitude toward "Taiwan independence", the consequence resulted from its jeopardy to the stability of the Asia-Pacific region would be too dreadful to think of.

Of course, among the nine Taiwan-related articles of the report, two articles express concern about "relaxation of cross-Strait relations", professing its intention to "promote the restart of cross-Strait dialogs". But the report never mentions the basic prerequisite for the resumption of cross-Strait dialogs, i.e., the once-China principle, still less gives due explanations on such major questions as the substantive content or result of cross-Strait dialogs, such as safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and promoting reunification of the country. On the contrary, the report advertises that cross-Strait dialogs be conducted by the "letting Taiwan participate in the 'Asia-Europe conference' method".

It is not hard to see that such "cross-Strait dialogs" that abandon the "one-China principle" and come to no conclusion are, in essence, to serve Chen Shui-bian"s "cross-Strait relaxation card" under the signboard of "peace between the two sides of the Straits"; what's more, it vainly attempts to turn the original dialogs conducted between the Chinese of both sides of the Straits into "dialogs conducted between states with the involvement of international forces. No wonder Island media said that if things are allowed to develop in accordance with the logic of the European Parliament's Taiwan-related report, would the "peace between the two sides of the Straits" be evolved into lasting cross-Strait peace, and Taiwan could set its mind on independence"?

The Taiwan-related Report Is the Result of Taiwan Authorities' Buying over Anti-China and Pro-Taiwan PM

The Taiwan-related articles in the "Report on Asia Strategy" expose the few anti-China, pro-Taiwan European parliament members' intention to "contain China through Taiwan". But it must be noted that the Taiwan-related articles thrust into this report are entirely the result of Taiwan authorities' buying over the tiny handful anti-China, pro-Taiwan European parliament members.

The various European countries and the parliament of EU are Taiwan authorities' "main objects" following the United States and Japan among the "countries of non-diplomatic relations". Taiwan authorities' "foreign ministry", "representative stationed in EU", "representative offices" in various European countries, "legislative yuan" as well as "parliamentarian federations" founded in connection with the parliaments of various European countries, relevant "Taiwan independence" organizations all have spent a lot of money, and energetically put on show by playing the "human right card" and the "humanity card" to win and buy over EU countries and pro-Taiwan members of European parliaments, working in close coordination with Chen Shui-bian's "all-directional diplomacy".

The "head of legislative yuan" Wang Chin-ping led the "legislative yuan European parliament visiting delegation" to Europe for activities in July this year, he energetically lobbied the European Parliament Speaker, the "pro-Taiwan group" chairman as well as 20 European parliament members, during which he "cordially" invited them to go to Taiwan for sightseeing and tour.

Even on the day before the appearance of the "report on Asia strategy", the "Taiwan-Europe parliamentarian exchange association led by Zhang Hsu-cheng with the Democratic Progressive Party's "legislative committee" was still carrying out activities in France and Switzerland. Taiwan authorities' "personnel stationed in EU", before the emergence of the report, intensively lobbied European parliament as well as the parliamentarians of the EU External Relations Commission who were in charge of the arrangement for the report. The nine Taiwan-related articles of the report were all full of the "shadows" of Taiwan authorities and that is nothing surprising.

Although the Taiwan-related report has not any legal binding force on the EU Executive Committee, the Taiwan authorities under Chen Shui-bian, whose "Taiwan independence diplomacy" has run into snags everywhere, vigorously flaunted their "diplomatic breakthroughs", asserting that it is "of special, important significance", thus giving a concentrated exposure to the features of Taiwan authorities to expand their influence by depending on foreigners.

European Parliament's Taiwan-related report violates the EU commitment to adhering to the one-China principle and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, thus naturally meets with the strong opposition from the Chinese government and people. On September 9, an official with the Foreign Affair Committee of the National People's Congress of China delivered a speech, pointing out that China is extremely dissatisfied with and resolutely objecting the European Parliament's act of seriously violating the solemn commitment made by the EU concerning the one-China principle, and of interfering in China's internal affairs; China hopes that European Parliament respects facts, abides by relevant commitments of the EU, refrains from doing anything that interferes in China's internal affairs, and, proceeding from Europe's own interests, goes with the tides of history and adopts a constructive and cooperative attitude toward the Sino-European relations.

By People's Daily Online

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