Taiwan authorities should not gamble with the basic
interests of the masses of Taiwan compatriots by cornering
them in the dead end of "Taiwan independence",
said a signed article released by Xinhua on Aug. 19.
The article exposes the pro-independence
nature of an apologia issued by Taiwan authorities through
its "Mainland Affairs Council" on August 7.
The apologia aimed to justify Taiwan leader
Chen Shui-bian's fallacy of "one country on each
side" and his advocacy for "deciding Taiwan's
future, destiny and status quo" through a
"democratic vote", said the article authored by Xu
Shiquan, a prestigious scholar on Taiwan affairs with the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Chen
Shui-bian has always bent on Taiwan's
"independence", and his statement of "one
country on each side", made on August 3, betrays the
fraudulent nature of the promises he made when he took
office, and marks the complete "bankruptcy" of his
political reputation, Xu noted in the article.
On the other hand, it is precisely not the
armed forces of the Chinese mainland that threaten Taiwan's
security, but the disruptive separatist activities of
"Taiwan independence" force.
The
people across China cherish any opportunity for peace and
development, and hope to settle the Taiwan issue in a
peaceful way. "Peaceful reunification" and
"one country, two systems" are the fundamental
principles the Chinese mainland has adopted towards Taiwan.
"Chen Shui-bian's 'Taiwan independence'
statement, however, has reminded us once again that we
cannot abandon the use of force while seeking a peaceful
reunification," the article noted. "Only when we
are fully prepared to deter disruption can we exert
ourselves for ultimate peace and achieve a peaceful
reunification."
Separatist forces headed
by Chen Shui-bian and his predecessor Lee Teng-hui have not
just undermined the very foundation for the stable
cross-Strait relations and hindered Taiwan's development,
but had sabotaged peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific
region as well, it warned.
Besides, throughout
its history, Taiwan had always been a part of China rather
than a separate country.
When the People's
Republic of China (PRC) was founded in October 1949, its
government replaced the "government of the Republic of
China" as the sole legitimate government to represent
the whole of China in the international community.
According to international law, such a
substitution change altered neither China's sovereignty nor
its territory. And its sovereignty over Taiwan remained
unchanged. Hence, the People's Republic of China, beyond any
doubt, is fully entitled to enjoy and exercise the country's
sovereign rights, including its sovereignty over Taiwan.
The Chinese mainland never holds disagreement
nor opposes any economic, cultural or personnel contacts or
exchanges of Taiwan compatriots with other countries and
regions of the world, provided that such activities do not
run counter to the "one China" principle.
The Chinese mainland, nevertheless, will never
tolerate the Taiwan authorities' disruptive attempts and
schemes to go in for "two Chinas" or "one
China, one Taiwan" in the international arena, the
article warned.
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