May 20, 2000--The “goodwill reconciliation” mentioned by the new leader of the Taiwan authorities in his speech delivered today falls short of sincerity, says an official statement released in Beijing on May 20, 2000.

The statement on authorization, issued jointly by the Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, notes that the new leader has mentioned that he will not declare “ Taiwan independence,” nor push for “the constituionalization of the two-states remarks,” and “a referendum on reunification vs. independence,” and that the abolition of the “National Reunification Council” or the “National Reunification Guidelines” will not be an issue.

However, on the key issue of accepting the One-China Principle, the new leader adopted an evasive and ambiguous attitude, the statement says.

   “Obviously, his ‘goodwill reconciliation’ lacks sincerity,” the statement says.

   The One-China Principle is the basis for the peaceful, steady development of cross-Straits relations, the statement says. “Since the new leader of the Taiwan authorities said that he would not go in for ‘Taiwan independence,’ he should not have attached any condition to it. Still less should he have denied the reality that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China by describing one China as something in the ‘future’.”

   Acceptance or rejection of the One-China Principle is the touchstone testing whether the Taiwan leader will uphold China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity or continue to stubbornly pursue the separatist policy of  “Taiwan independence,” the statement says.

   The statement says that all the facts and legal evidence prove that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

   In 1895, Japan occupied Taiwan through an aggressive war against China.  In 1943, the Cairo Declaration proclaimed that all the Japanese-occupied territories including Taiwan should be returned to China. The statement was later reiterated in the Potsdam Proclamation.  In 1945, the Chinese government restored Taiwan and the Penghu Islands and resumed the exercise of sovereignty there after winning the War of Resistance against Japan.

   Taiwan's status as part of China has never been changed under any circumstances, and is widely admitted by the international community, where the One-China policy is upheld.

   China will not change this firm stance, the statement stresses. It notes that the One-China Principle also can be found in the Taiwan authorities' provisions and documents, and is not imposed unilaterally by the mainland.   For a long period of time, adherence to the One-China Principle has been the stance of both sides of the Straits, and the basis for their cooperation.

   The statement says the mainland has clearly told the Taiwan authorities that in dealing with cross-Straits affairs before reunification, especially during negotiations by the two sides, the One-China Principle must be adhered to.  That is, there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China, and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity can not be divided.

   The two sides should negotiate and discuss reunification on the equal footing, it says.

   The statement points out that some people in Taiwan still cling to the stance that “Taiwan is a sovereign independent country” in an attempt to separate Taiwan from China. “This is the serious crime of splitting the motherland and harming the people, and will inevitably damage Taiwan’s social stability and economic development, cause conflicts between compatriots across the Straits, jeopardize peace in the Taiwan Straits and the Pacific-Asian region, and impair the fundamental interests of the Chinese people, including the people in Taiwan”, it says.

The statement points out that if anyone dares trigger a civil war again by splitting Taiwan from China, they must shoulder the historical responsibility for this sin.

   Compatriots across the Straits have the same ancestral links, and have shared weal and woe, the statement says.  The Communist Party of China thus fully respects the Taiwan compatriots’ lifestyle and their wish to become the master of the island and to manage their own affairs, and will try its best to protect all of their legitimate rights.  Our fight against Taiwan splittists is  not to contend whether there should be democracy or which system should be adopted, but rather whether there should be reunification or dismemberment.

   The statement calls on the people across the Straits to unite in opposition to “Taiwan independence,” and to realize the reunification of the motherland.

   At present, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, overseas Chinese, and the international community, all hope that cross-Straits relations be developed peacefully and steadily, the statement says.

   In accordance with the basic policies of “peaceful reunification” and “one country, two systems,” and the eight-point proposition made by President Jiang Zemin, “we strive most sincerely for peaceful reunification, and are determined and fully prepared to stop all splittist activities for ‘Taiwan independence’,” it says.

   The statement says the mainland will continue to vigorously enhance cross-Straits economic cooperation, personnel exchanges, and exchanges in various fields, as well as promote the realization of direct exchanges of mail service, trade, and air and shipping service between the two sides in the manner of “one China, across-Straits negotiations.”

 It says, all Taiwan parties, social groups, and people of all walks of life are welcome to come to the mainland for exchange of views and enhanced common understanding on the fight against “Taiwan independence,” and for the development of cross-Straits relations and promotion of peaceful reunification of the motherland.

The statement reiterates that dialogues, negotiations, and high-level visits between the two sides be conducted on the basis of the One-China Principle, and that under this principle, all issues can be discussed.

President Jiang Zemin has already pointed out in his eight-point proposition that as the first step, the two sides can hold talks and reach  agreement on officially ending the state of  hostility under the One-China Principle.

 “At present, so long as the Taiwan authorities make a clear commitment that it will not accept the ‘two-states remarks,’ and that it will adhere to the consensus reached between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and Taiwan’s Strait Exchange Foundation in 1992 that the two sides will express in their own way that ‘the two sides of the Straits both adhere to the One-China Principle,’ we would like to authorize the ARATS to contact and hold dialogues with organizations or persons authorized by the Taiwan side,” the statement says.

The statement stresses that Taiwan’s new leader should carefully study the situation and conform to the historical trend by abandoning his separatist proposition and take the bright path toward peaceful reunification of the motherland.

 The statement points out that this is the only way to realize peaceful and stable development and improve relations across the Taiwan Straits.

 It also stresses that the Taiwan issue can not be dragged on endlessly.

 The statement concludes by saying that all attempts at spliting the motherland and all designs for "Taiwan independence" are doomed to failure, and are absolutely impermissible to all the Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots.