Chinese gov't opposes Taiwan's separatism, referendum

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, October 30, 2003

Chinese gov't opposes Taiwan's separatism, referendum

The Chinese government Wednesday voiced its "firm opposition" to separatist moves by Taiwan authorities by abusing the planned "referendum" as an excuse.

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The Chinese government Wednesday voiced its "firm opposition" to separatist moves by Taiwan authorities by abusing the planned "referendum" as an excuse.

Zhang Mingqing, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the mainland respects the aspiration of the Taiwan compatriots to be masters of their own community, but Taiwan authorities are deliberately using the "referendum" as a cover-up to challenge the "One China Principle" in a bid to split the motherland.

Taiwan authorities have announced plans to launch a referendum during the "general election" scheduled for next year on "parliamentary reform", Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization (WHO), a nuclear plant and the constitution amendment.

Zhang criticized Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu for preaching Taiwan independence.

"On Oct. 25, (the ruling) Democratic People's Progressive Party and some organizations for 'Taiwan independence' held a procession in support of the 'referendum and revising constitution'" .

The spokesman said that "Chen Shui-bian is preaching separatism and is trying to carry out separatist activities by taking advantage of the referendum."

All these activities show that recent reiteration of the promises by leaders of Taiwan authorities, including that Taiwan will not hold a referendum on sovereignty issues, is doublespeak, noted the spokesman.

"Taiwan independence activities directly impair the fundamental interests of Taiwan compatriots, it is a scourge for Taiwan," he acknowledged. "Separatist activities in any form will not be tolerated by the sons and daughters of the Chinese people, and they are doomed to failure."

"Safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity has a bearing on the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and we will never waver on this vital matter of principle".

On Chen Shui-bian's planned stopover in the Untied States, the spokesman said that Chen is going in for separatist activities overseas to infringe upon and undermine the overall relations between China and the United States.

Anyone from Taiwan with proper capacity, including ruling Democratic Progressive Party members, can join negotiations on direct flights across the Taiwan Straits.

Zhang made the announcement in response to a question on next Spring Festival's charter flight carrying Taiwanese businessmen across the Taiwan Straits.

On the basis of two-way direct flights and mutual benefit, civil organizations and enterprises in both the mainland and Taiwan can discuss direct air links across the Taiwan Straits, he said.

Direct flights across the Taiwan Straits as well as the direct links of trade, shipping and mail are internal affairs of China, he said.

He said, it showed a lack of sincerity for the Taiwanese authorities to unilaterally put forward a report on the technicalevaluation of direct flights across the straits and a three-stage plan for direct flights, without negotiations between the mainland and Taiwan.

Chu An-hsiung, the former "council speaker" in Taiwan's Kaohsiung City is not hiding in China's mainland, and relevant media reports were groundless, said the spokesman.

Chu, who was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment for buying votes in Taiwan, was reported by some Taiwanese media to have fled to China's Zhuhai City or Henan Province.

Zhang also briefed reporters on the recent release of a Taiwanese Falun Gong cult follower who had been detained in the mainland for practicing illegal activities.

The Chinese mainland called on Taiwan authorities to remove restrictions on cross-straits exchanges, trade and investment.

Commenting on Taiwan's revision to its regulations on cross-straits exchanges, Zhang said the mainland supports anything that is favorable for economic development in Taiwan and cross-straits relations.

Under the revised regulations, Taiwan relaxes some of its restrictions on personnel exchange, and trade and investment between the mainland and Taiwan, but that is not sufficient, said the spokesman.

The relaxation is far from what the Taiwan and mainland people want, and Taiwan authorities are delaying direct shipping indefinitely, he said.

He called on Taiwan authorities to follow the development trend of cross-straits relations and the will of the people on both sides by giving up their separatist stance and the policies hindering the development of cross-straits relations.

Taiwan should demonstrate its sincerity of promoting cross-straits relations, not posturing or talking up improving the ties purely for political and other purposes.

China's mainland has taken a series of substantial measures to safeguard the legal rights and interests of Taiwanese compatriots, and the mainland is a safe and ideal place for their investment, according to the spokesman.

Zhang spoke at the press conference when asked to comment on several recent criminal cases in which Taiwanese people were killed. Such cases are rare, only accounting for a very small percentage of all criminal cases on the mainland, he said.

Relevant authorities had attached great importance to such cases, the spokesman said.

Experts from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan will continue cooperation in space seed breeding by conducting follow-up experiments on seeds carried into space aboard the Shenzhou-5 manned spacecraft earlier this month, an expert said Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference sponsored by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Zhao Linshu, a mainland agricultural scientist, said 100 grams of crop seeds were aboard the spacecraft, which circled the Earth 14 times on a 21-hour mission on Oct. 15 and 16.

The seeds included 33 varieties, including flowers and vegetables, said Zhao, an associate research fellow with Space Breeding Center of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

She said the project represented the first cooperation of agricultural research institutions from both sides of the Taiwan Straits in space breeding, and she hoped it would help both sides of the Taiwan Straits expand their cooperation in agricultural sciences.

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