China's Xinhua News Agency released a commentary
today stressing that the one-China principle leaves no room
for evasiveness or
ambiguity.
"Anybody who
dares insist on splitting Taiwan from China, in spite of the
warning from the Chinese government and people, must bear
responsibility for all the serious consequences arising
therefrom," the commentary
says.
The principle concerns
China's reunification, sovereignty and territorial
integrity, and the Chinese government and people will make
no concession on this major matter of principle, it
adds.
The commentary was released
in response to the policy speech delivered on Saturday by
the leader of the Taiwan
authorities.
The new leader said
that he will not declare "Taiwan Independence,"
nor push for "the constituionalization of the
two-states 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.
However, on the key issue
of accepting the one-China principle, the new leader adopted
an evasive and vague attitude, saying that one-China is an
issue that will be dealt with "in the
future."
"Evidently,
his so-called goodwill reconciliation lacks sincerity,"
the commentary says. "There are still unstable
factorsfacing the development of relations across the Taiwan
Straits."
The commentary
says that the statement on authorization, issued jointly
Saturday by the Taiwan Work Office of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party
of China and the Taiwan Affairs
Office of the State Council,
reiterates the government's stand on dealing with
cross-Straits relations, representing the aspirations of the
compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan
Straits.
One-China is both a
political reality for the two sides and a fact in
Chinese history, which has been widely recognized by the
international community, including the United Nations, the
commentary notes.
If the Taiwan
leader does not recognize the One-China principle, the
commentary says, cross-Straits relations are unlikely to
improve, and that will lead to conflict and a crisis will
occur.
The article points out
that the struggle against Taiwan separatist forces is one
for either reunification or separation, absolutely not a
battle over which political system is
better.
The guiding principle of
"peaceful reunification" and "one country,
two systems", which is in the interests of all, is the
best way for resolving the Taiwan issue, as has been proved
in
Hong Kong and Macao, it
says.
The commentary urges
Taiwan's new leader to recognize absolutely the one-China
principle and the fact that Taiwan is part of
China.
"Acceptance or
rejection of the one-China principle is the touchstone to
test whether one sincerely wants to improve
cross-
Straits relations,"
it says.
The mainland has
repeatedly expressed its willingness to conduct dialogues,
negotiations, and high-level visits between the two sides on
the basis of the one-China principle, the commentary says.
"As long as the Taiwan
authorities make a clear commitment that they will not
accept the 'two-state theory,' and that they will adhere to
the consensus reached between the Association for
Relations Across the Taiwan
Straits and Taiwan's Strait Exchange
Foundation in 1992 that 'the two
sides of the Straits both adhere to the one-China
Principle,' dialogue may be held between authorized
organizations or individuals of the two sides," the
commentary says.
It notes that
the Taiwan leader's straying from the one-China principle
will put the Chinese people on guard against further
promotion of Taiwan
independence.
China will do its
best to achieve reunification peacefully; however,
it is fully prepared to stop all separatist activities in
the name of "Taiwan independence," the commentary
adds.