'Beijing must prepare to crush independence moves'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 17, 2003

'Beijing must prepare to crush independence moves'

Beijing said on Wednesday that Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian is "immoral" for gambling with the island's future by pushing for independence and the Chinese mainland must prepare to crush independence attempts in Taiwan, one of its strongest statements in weeks against the separatist forces in the island.

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Beijing said on Wednesday the Chinese mainland must prepare to crush independence attempts in Taiwan, one of its strongest statements in weeks against the separatist forces in the island.

A senior Taiwan affairs official said Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian is "immoral" for gambling with the island's future by pushing for independence.

"In the face of outrageous Taiwan independence-splittist activities we must make necessary preparations to resolutely crush Taiwan independence-splittist plots," Li Weiyi, spokesman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, told a news conference in Beijing.

"Chen Shui-bian's selfishness in seeking re-election spares no effort and gambles with the immediate interests of Taiwan compatriots," Li said. "This is very immoral".

"Attempts by Chen Shui-bian and various separatist forces to split Taiwan from China are doomed to failure."

Cross-Strait tensions have been boiling since November, when Taiwan's "parliament" passed a bill to permit referendums. Chen then said he would hold a referendum alongside the March election calling on the mainland to remove its missiles aimed on Taiwan.

Li said some recent moves on Taiwan were "serious provocations" and called Taiwan's defensive referendum an attempt to "split the motherland."

"The difference in social systems between the two sides of the straits cannot be used as an excuse to split the motherland," Li said.

Nevertheless, the Chinese mainland was considering allowing Lunar New Year charter flights in January between Taiwan and four Chinese cities -- Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Xiamen, he added.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected Taiwan's "Vice President" Annette Lu's accusations on Chinese mainland's missile deployments.

Despite a blunt warning from US President Bush against Taiwan separatists to change the status quo, Lu accused Tuesday that mainland's missile deployments amounted to terrorism. Lu said a referendum was necessary to defend the island.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao Tuesday said Lu's accusation were bizarre and that the Chinese government opposed anyone trying to split the island from the mainland.

"No country would call actions to protect its national sovereignty and territorial integrity terrorism. So I think the comments of the person you mentioned are unreasonable," said Liu during Tuesday's regular news briefing in Beijing.

"We oppose any person using any excuse or in any name splitting Taiwan from China," Liu said.

China's mainland is willing to enhance cooperation with Taiwan against the possible return of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and welcomes Taiwanese medical experts to join China's delegation to attend a world health conference.

Since knowledge of SARS is still incomplete, the danger of another outbreak cannot be ignored, Li quoted experts with the World Health Organization (WHO) as saying.

Compatriots across the Taiwan Straits should continue to enhance cooperation and exchange to prevent SARS from returning, Li said.

As a special organization under the United Nations, WHO can only be joined by sovereign states, he said, noting that since 1972, the organization had always treated Taiwan as part of China.

The mainland, attaching great importance to the health interests of Taiwan, actively cooperated with WHO to allow Taiwan relevant information and join international medical exchanges, he said.

The mainland consistently promoted cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation in the medical field, but Chen Shui-bian, aiming to trigger conflicts across the Straits and provide conditions for Taiwan independence, had continued to make trouble on the WHO issue, he said.

The mainland has stated many times that on the premises of one China, any topic including Taiwan's international participation inaccordance with its status can be discussed, but Chen refused to negotiate, which demonstrated his true aim was to gain independence, not the well-being of the Taiwanese people, Li said.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Wednesday also issued a document on China's policy on direct links in mail, transport and trade across the Taiwan Straits.

The document is entitled "Actively and Realistically Promote 'Three Direct Links' Across the Taiwan Straits by Reliance on the People and in the Interests of the People."

The failure to realize direct, two-way and complete "three links" across the Taiwan Straits is mainly attributed to obstruction by the Taiwan authorities, says the document.

"For a long time in the past, the Taiwan authorities have set up numerous barriers to inter-Straits 'Three direct links,' in disregard of the eager desire of compatriots across the Straits and the demands of Taiwan's economic growth," says the document (Full Text).

By People's Daily Online

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"Three direct links" obstructed by Taiwan authorities

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