Beijing Wednesday launched a major effort to counteract the recent damage to
bilateral ties caused by Taipei. The central government is calling for more
extensive economic relations between the two sides in its first official
document on the policy of seeking three direct links across the Taiwan Straits.
But the government stands as firm as ever in its opposition to Taiwan leader
Chen Shui-bian's pro-independence attempts centring around his call for a
"defensive referendum" on March 20 next year.
The mainland's move to push ahead with the establishment of cross-Straits
mail, transport and trade services is believed to be a key offensive against
Chen's provocative acts aimed at triggering new tensions in cross-Straits
relations.
Chen, whose policies have been blamed repeatedly for the island's economic
woes, has been preoccupied with the push for independence under the guise of
promoting democracy.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council unveiled at a regular press
conference a 9,500-character document, entitled "Actively and Realistically
Promote the 'Three Direct Links' Across the Taiwan Straits by Reliance on the
People and in the Interests of the People."
It enunciates Beijing's stance and policy on the implementation of the three
direct links and on various related issues.
He Shizhong, director of the Economic Affairs Bureau with the office, said
that despite progress over the past two decades, there has been nothing more
than indirect, one-way and indecisive progress in negotiations over the three
links.
The stand and policies of the current Taiwan leader aimed at disrupting the
development of cross-Straits relations and splitting the motherland are the root
cause of the failure, so far, to realize the full opening-up of the three direct
and two-way links, He told the press briefing.
He stressed that a full opening-up of the three direct links conforms to the
immediate interests of compatriots across the Straits and is the fundamental way
to achieve mutual benefit and a win-win situation.
To demonstrate the main-land's sincerity and flexibility, the document for
the first time officially defines future air and shipping routes between Taiwan
and the mainland as "cross-Straits routes."
Beijing used to describe future sea and air routes as "domestic routes" while
insisting that the three links be taken as internal affairs within one country.
But the document emphasizes that Beijing resolutely opposes anyone who attempts
to define the three direct links as "state-to-state" or "quasi-international"
ones or to "internationalize" them in disguised form.
At the press conference, Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office,
also accused Chen of being "immoral" in gambling with the island's future to
serve his own re-election bid and separatist agenda.
He said Chen's plan to hold the so-called "defensive referendum" constitutes
gross provocation to upset stability and peace in cross-Straits ties.
"What is most serious is that Chen has been colluding with separatist forces
to get them actively engaged in his pro-independence movement in an attempt to
split Taiwan from the motherland," Li said. "In the face of outrageous
separatist activities we must make necessary preparations to resolutely crush
any pro-independence plots."
