Chinese lawmakers described the anti-secession law as "extremely
necessary" and "very timely" at their group discussions in Beijing
on Sunday, attended by top legislator Wu Bangguo.
The draft law was submitted for the first round of deliberation
on Saturday to the 13th session of the 10th National People's
Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, held from December 25 to 29.
Standing Committee members unanimously agreed that Taiwan is an
indispensable part of China, and that the mainland has made a
sustained effort to promote peaceful reunification.
In recent years, the activities of secessionists have become the
largest obstacle to the development of cross-straits relations and
peaceful reunification, as well as the most serious threat to peace
and stability across the Taiwan Straits, according to the
lawmakers.
All social strata on the mainland and many overseas Chinese have
repeatedly expressed their support for the use of legal means to
fight Taiwan secessionist forces and realize the peaceful
reunification of China. A number of bills, proposals and motions to
that end have been submitted to the NPC.
The lawmakers held that the time is ripe for enacting the
anti-secession law in order to oppose and check the Taiwan
secessionists, promote the peaceful reunification of China,
safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity and maintain the
fundamental interests of the nation.
China's constitution provides a basis for formulating the law
against secession. Responses to the Taiwan question issued by three
previous generations of central government leadership -- especially
by Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin -- together with a series of state
policies, offer explicit guidelines for the formulation of the
law.
They said that enactment of the law will help to mobilize all
Chinese citizens, including Taiwan patriots, to advance the cause
of the motherland's peaceful reunification. It will help to
maintain peace and stability throughout the Asia-Pacific region as
well as across the straits.
The lawmakers said that the draft law fully implements the basic
policies on Taiwan, such as "peaceful reunification" and "one
country, two systems". It reflects China's utmost sincerity in
pursuing peaceful reunification and the common resolve of all
Chinese citizens to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and
territorial integrity.
The lawmakers unanimously agreed that the draft should be
submitted to the third annual session of the 10th National People's
Congress, to be held early in 2005, for further deliberation.
Also on Sunday, the lawmakers also discussed the draft law on
notaries and draft decision on expert testimony.
(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2004)