Taiwan's New Leader Urged to Recognize One-China Principle

Xinhua News Agency published a commentary Tuesday making it clear that the new leader of Taiwan must recognize the One-China principle if tensions are to be eased across the Taiwan Straits.

The commentary, titled "The Only Way-Out for Relaxing the Cross- Straits Ties," stresses that the One-Chine principle must be followed in dealing with cross-straits affairs, particularly the cross-straits talks before the reunification, insisting that there is only one China in the world, and that China's sovereignty and territorial integrity are inseparable.

The One-China principle was shaped out of the struggles of the Chinese people to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The retreat of the Kuomintang Regime to Taiwan in 1949 didn't change the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and that the recent change of Taiwan's leader in no way means that the One-China principle can be denied or that Taiwan independence can be advocated.

No one should attempt to deny the truth that Taiwan is a sacred and inalienable part of the Chinese territory.

The One-China principle is a political reality of the cross- straits relations, which has been widely recognized by the international community. The ultimate goal for developing the cross-straits ties and holding cross-straits talks is the reunification of the motherland.

Without the recognition of the One-China principle, cross- straits negotiations are pointless, the commentary says.

The commentary reiterates the mainland's stance that everything is negotiable within the framework of the One-China principle.

If the new leader of Taiwan is truly concerned about the fate of the 23 million people in Taiwan, he should recognize the One- China principle, because denial of the principle and advocacy for Taiwan independence will end in catastrophe.

The commentary criticizes separatists like Lee Teng-hui and Annette Lu for their venomous reaction to the call for adherence to the One-China principle, and for lying to the Chinese people about the situation.

The mainland has never called Taiwan a "renegade province" and has repeatedly stressed that the cross-straits negotiation will not be one between the central government and a local government, it will be an equal negotiation under the One-China principle.

The One-China principle is the force behind the decades-long peace across the straits, the booming cross-straits exchanges in the past ten years, and the talks between the mainland's Association for the Relations across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan 's Straits Exchange Foundation.

The commentary notes that the One-China principle has once clearly recognized by the Taiwan authorities and the evidence is that this principle was clearly written in a document on the reunification of the motherland by the Taiwan Authorities in November 1991. Therefore, the commentary says, the One-China principle is not imposed on the Taiwan authorities by the mainland.



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