The one China principle is a prerequisite for the peaceful reunification of the motherland, experts and scholars of the Taiwan issue said on February 25 at a forum on the white paper China issued.

They noted the white paper, titled "The One China Principle and the Taiwan Issue", has sent a clear message to the international community and Taiwan that the Chinese government will not sit idle as separatist forces attempt to separate the island from the motherland.

"Peaceful reunification conforms to the best interests of Chinese compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits," said Prof. Su Ge of the Foreign Affairs College.

Upholding the One China principle and recognizing that China's sovereignty and territory cannot be divided form the basis of negotiations on an equal footing between the two sides of the Straits, Su said.

To deviate from the principle and attempt to divide the island from the motherland undermines the prerequisite for peaceful reunification, the professor said.

It is widely recognized by the international community that there is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, said Jiang Dianming, vice president of the Taiwan Studies Society. That is a view once shared by both the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Kuomintang, Jiang noted.

History has shown that the One China principle constitutes the foundation of peace between the two sides of the Straits, Jiang said.

The white paper was issued at a crucial time of the development of cross-Straits relations, and it unequivocally states the Chinese government stance on the Taiwan issue, said Researcher Xin Qi at the Peace and Development Studies Center.

The white paper again demonstrates the Chinese government's position on the Taiwan issue and its determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs, Xin said.

The mainland will not await peaceful reunification indefinitely and "peaceful separation" is intolerable, Xin noted, adding that the white paper will help promote the development of cross-Straits relations.

Upholding the One China principle conforms with the interests of the people of Taiwan, said Su Minsheng, vice president of the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots.

The Chinese people on both sides of the Straits share the same blood. The majority of Taiwan compatriots wish for stability, peace and development and do not want see a cross-Straits tension, Su said.

However, Taiwan authorities have deviated further from the One China Principle, and seriously undermined cross-Straits relations and the interests of Taiwan compatriots.

Xu Bodong of the Taiwan Studies Society pointed out that some U. S. lawmakers have intensified efforts recently to concoct the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act and sell weapons to the island on various pretext.

The U.S. has encouraged separatist forces on the island and brazenly interferred in China's internal affairs, Xu stressed.

The experts noted that the "three ifs" and "three nevers" mentioned in the white paper are the conditions for settling the Taiwan issue by non-peaceful means, expounded for the first time by the Chinese government.

They said the return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland has urgently brought the issue of reunification with the mainland to the foreground and the cross-Straits relations have come to a critical juncture, offering both opportunities and challenges.

Experts expressed the hope that Taiwan compatriots will make a clear distinction between right and wrong, oppose any forms of separatist activities and continue to strive for the healthy growth of cross-Straits relations, the peaceful reunification of the motherland, and the revitalization of the Chinese nation.

The forum was sponsored by the Taiwan Studies Society. More than 20 experts and scholars attended the forum.