While China has "consistently stood for reunifying the country through peaceful means," the country would resort to "non-peaceful" measures to prevent Taiwan from splitting from the rest of the nation, a senior lawmaker announced yesterday.
According to a draft Anti-Secession Law that Chinese legislators will vote on next Monday, China would also use non-peaceful means should major incidents entailing Taiwan's secession from China occur, or should the possibility of a peaceful reunification be completely exhausted, said Wang Zhaoguo, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's parliament. Under those circumstances, "the state shall employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wang told parliament yesterday while explaining the proposed law to NPC delegates. The Taiwan question is one that is left over from China's civil war of the late 1940s. China has said resolving the Taiwan question and accomplishing China's complete reunification is a key historic task of the Communist Party of China and the country. Over the years China has hoped to develop stronger relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and promote a peaceful reunification of the motherland. In recent years, however, Taiwan authorities have intensified their "independence" activities aimed at separating the island from China. The secessionist activities "gravely threaten China's sovereign and territorial integrity," Wang said. He stressed China would refrain from using non-peaceful means if possible. "Using non-peaceful means to stop secession in defense of our sovereignty and territorial integrity would be our last resort after all of our efforts for a peaceful reunification prove futile," Wang said. He stressed that China has "consistently stood for reunifying the country through peaceful means... No one is more desirous of achieving a peaceful reunification than we are." "So long as there is a glimmer of hope for peaceful reunification, we will exert our utmost efforts to make it happen rather than give it up," he said. The draft Anti-Secession Law lays out five measures China would take to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and promote cross-Strait relations, Wang said. The state would:￥Encourage and facilitate personnel exchanges across the Strait to improve mutual understanding and trust;￥Encourage and facilitate economic exchanges and cooperation, realize direct links in trade, mail, and air and shipping services, and bring about closer economic ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait;￥Encourage and facilitate cross-Strait exchanges in education, science and technology, culture, health and sports;￥Encourage and facilitate cross-Strait cooperation in combating crime;￥Encourage and facilitate other activities conducive to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Wang promised the state would do everything it could to protect Taiwan civilians and foreign nationals on the island should "non-peaceful" means be used. "The draft legislation clearly provides that in the event of employing and executing non-peaceful means and other necessary measures, the state shall exert its utmost to protect the lives, property and other legitimate rights and interests of Taiwan civilians and foreign nationals in Taiwan, and to minimize losses," he said. "At the same time, the state shall protect the rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots in other parts of China in accordance with the law." Wang stressed no sovereign state can tolerate secession and every sovereign state has the right to use necessary means to defend its sovereign and territorial integrity. "After the country is reunified peacefully, Taiwan may practice systems different from those on the mainland and enjoy a high degree of autonomy," Wang said.