Taiwan compatriots' interests damaged by separatists' each U.S. "stopover": mainland official

CHENGDU, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The interests of Taiwan compatriots are damaged in each and every "stopover" in the United States made by separatists seeking "Taiwan independence," said a mainland Taiwan affairs official on Thursday.

Pan Xianzhang, vice director of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks when addressing a seminar on relations between the mainland and Taiwan that opened Thursday in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

"The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' collusion with external forces will only push Taiwan into the abyss of disaster," Pan said.

He added that the attempts by "Taiwan independence" separatists from the island to seek "independence" and make provocation in collusion with external forces in the name of making "stopovers" fully reveal that they are troublemakers undermining the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Noting that at present, cross-Strait relations are faced with major choices of paths and prospects: peace or war, prosperity or recession, Pan urged Taiwan compatriots to stand on the right side of history, uphold the 1992 Consensus, firmly oppose "Taiwan independence" separatists and interference by external forces, and join hands with compatriots on the mainland to maintain peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and advance integrated development across the Strait.

Pan called on Taiwan people to join compatriots on the mainland to advance national reunification and rejuvenation.

Speaking at the same event, Yang Xingping, vice governor of Sichuan Province, said Sichuan will deepen integrated development with Taiwan in various fields and contribute to promoting the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the progress towards national reunification.

Experts and scholars from both sides of the Strait said the DPP authorities' collusion with external forces to seek "Taiwan independence" and make provocation is pushing Taiwan to the brink of war and has seriously undermined the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation.

They called on compatriots on both sides of the Strait to fight separatists seeking "Taiwan independence" and external forces, and safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Cross-Strait integrated development should be advanced in all fields to enable compatriots from both sides to share the tremendous historical opportunities brought about by the process of advancing Chinese modernization and consolidate the sense of their shared future, they said.

Themed "cross-Strait relations and national rejuvenation," the event attracted more than 130 attendees from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. It was hosted by the mainland-based Cross-Straits Relations Research Center.