With two months to go before Taiwan's "presidential" elections
on March 20, Beijing has remained steadfast in its strategy to keep
the island from drifting further towards independence.
While strongly warning against Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's
pro-independence push, senior government officials yesterday tried
hard to attract Taiwanese investors with vast market and abundant
business opportunities.
Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State
Council, told a regular press conference that the mainland has
"firm determination and necessary preparation to crush splittist
activities.''
"We... are fully confident to safeguard the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the motherland," he said.
"We will not allow anybody to split Taiwan from China in any
form."
The spokesman called Chen's proposed "defensive referendum" a
great challenge to peace in cross-Straits relations.
Through such an island-wide election, Chen aims to pave the way
for a future plebiscite on changing Taiwan's status to declare
formal independence, Li said. The Taiwan leader has insisted on
holding the referendum on election day despite blunt warning from
both Beijing and Washington.
Despite harsh political rhetoric, mainland officials softened
their tone when addressing economic issues at the press
briefing.
Ren Airong, deputy director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao
Affairs Office under the Ministry of Agriculture, pledged to
strengthen agricultural co-operation and open wider to Taiwanese
investors and farm products.
She said the mainland "with its huge consumption market, plenty
of plantation resources and a sound investment environment" can
provide myriad opportunities for Taiwanese agricultural
enterprises.
"Both sides of the Straits can model on the closer economic
partnership arrangement between the mainland and Hong Kong and
Macao to facilitate bilateral agricultural trade," the official
said.
She added that the mainland is ready to allow more imports of
agricultural products from the island while offering convenient
quarantine and logistics services.
(China Daily?January 15, 2004)