Reunification Is What All Chinese People Want

Reunification, instead of "Taiwan independence," is what all Chinese people want, according to a signed article released Tuesday, December 26.

"In general, the relations across the Taiwan Straits continue to be tense over the past year. However, 'supporting reunification and opposing independence' has been a common understanding of all Chinese people," the article says.

The mainland has repeatedly expressed its willingness that dialogue, negotiations, and high-level visits between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits on the basis of the one-China principle are welcome.

It is the policy of the mainland that as long as the Taiwan authorities make a clear commitment that they will not accept the "two-state theory," and will adhere to the consensus reached between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Strait Exchange Foundation in 1992, dialogue will be held between authorized organizations or individuals of the two sides.

Taiwan's new leader, however, still sticks to his evasive and vague attitude, ignoring the mainland's sincerity and more and more criticism from the island's non-ruling parties and Taiwan compatriots, the article points out.

The new leader claimed that he will not declare "Taiwan Independence," nor push for "the constitutionalization of the two-state remarks" or "a referendum on reunification vs. independence,

" and that the abolition of the "National Reunification Council" and the "National Reunification Guidelines" will not be an issue.

But he has been working to sidestep the key issue of accepting the one-China principle, claiming that "Taiwan is a independent sovereign state" and "reunification is not the only choice." Evidently, his so-called goodwill reconciliation lacks sincerity, the article says.

However, the mainland is still making efforts to promote dialogue across the Taiwan Straits, and the fast-growing trade cooperation and personnel exchange have become a key force against the independence of Taiwan, it stresses.

In July and August this year, delegations of Taiwan's Kuomintang and other parties were invited to the mainland, and consensus on trade cooperation and direct mail, trade, air and shipping services was reached between them and the ARATS.

Statistics show more than two million Taiwan people visited the mainland in the first 11 months this year, when 60,000 mainland residents dropped in Taiwan.

In the January-October period, Taiwan businessmen invested US$1.75 billion in 2,418 projects in the mainland, and the indirect trade volume neared US$25 billion, up 33.2 percent on an annual basis.

The 21st century is around the corner. Looking back at China's long history, separation is temporary, but reunification is always the mainstream, the article says.

The Chinese people have taken the reunification of the motherland as one of the top three tasks they will accomplish in the new century. With the concerted efforts of all Chinese, including the compatriots in Taiwan, various unfavorable factors affecting the cross-Straits relations will be eventually overcome for an early realization of the complete reunification of the motherland.






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