The Chinese government will accept and consider earnestly
proposals on promoting the reunification of the motherland through
legal means, a mainland official said here Wednesday.
Li Weiyi, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State
Council, China's central government, made the remarks in response
to a question on whether the Chinese mainland would institute a law
on national reunification at a regular briefing.
The spokesman said that it is a sincere expectation and sacred
mission for the whole nation, including the Taiwan compatriots, as
well as a common aspiration for the whole Chinese people, including
overseas Chinese, to realize a complete reunification of the
motherland.
The Chinese government will earnestly take into consideration
and accept proposals put forward by personages and organizations
from all circles on promoting the reunification of the motherland,
including those on promoting the reunification through legal means,
the spokesman said
Chen Shui-bian's authorities recently set up an interactive
framework panel for "peace and stability" across the Taiwan
Straits, which will be transformed into a committee with the aim of
formulating "peace and development outlines" across the Straits,
intended to replace the "National Unification Council".
When asked by the press to comment on the issue, Li said the
mainland always maintains the two sides across the Straits should
negotiate equally on the basis of the one-China principle, so as to
end the hostile situation across the Straits. If Chen Shui-bian
does not follow the one-China principle, the mainland and Taiwan
cannot start to negotiate and the Taiwan Straits will not have a
peaceful and stable prospect, Li said.
Currently, the fundamental obstacle to cross-Straits peace talks
is Chen's stubborn "Taiwan Independence" separatist stance as "one
country on each side," he said.
Chen shouts for "holy war against China" on one hand and asserts
to establish an interactive framework for "peace and stability"
across the Taiwan Straits on the other hand, which utterly cheats
world public opinion, he said.
Li also denied a report that Taiwan's Chen Shui-bian sent a
"secret envoy" to Beijing in March.
"I don't have any materials on the 'secret envoy' issue," Li
said.
Chen has no choice but to accept the one-China principle if he
really wishes for peace, stability and development of the relations
between the two sides across the Taiwan Straits, he said.
"We don't care who is elected as Taiwanese leader. We only care
whether he accepts the one-China principle," he said.
Li said after the leader election in Taiwan, the mainland will
stick to the current policies towards Taiwan on the basis of
"peaceful reunification and one country, two systems."
The mainland objects to Taiwan's allowing foreign ships to
participate in transportation across the Taiwan Straits, since this
violates the principle that foreign ships should not provide
domestic transportation service, he said.
The mainland cannot accept the internationalization of
cross-Straits sea routes, Li said, urging for realization of "three
direct links" across the Taiwan Straits as early as possible.
Also at yesterday's news briefing, Wang Liji, deputy director of
the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office with the Ministry of
Health, said the Chinese government welcomes Taiwan medical and
health experts to join the Chinese delegation to attend the 57th
World Health Assembly in May this year.
Wang said that the Foreign Ministry spokesman clearly stated the
stand of the central government on Tuesday on the question of
Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly as an
observer.
Wang said that the central government has been always concerned
over the health of the Taiwan people and has always promoted
exchanges and cooperation on health across the Straits to help
Taiwan acquire relevant information.
With the permission of the central government, experts from the
World Health Organization (WHO) have been to Taiwan several times
to learn about SARS and other diseases there, and the Taiwan
experts have also participated in the WHO special meetings on SARS
and cancer on the basis of the consultation between the Chinese
mainland and the WHO.
Wang pointed out that the Chinese delegation to attend the
assembly consists of experts from Hong Kong and Macao, but
regrettably, the Taiwan authorities have not made a positive
response to the mainland so far.
(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2004)