China's first official reactions to the Taiwanese president's decision to close the National Unification Council are out: "Provocative, it puts peace in the Strait in grave danger."
Beijing (AsiaNews/Scmp) China's leadership today condemned the decision of Taiwanese president, Chen Shuibian, to abolish the National Unification Council (CNU). The Office for Taiwan Affairs of the Communist Party and the government described Chen's move as "a secessionist activity which puts peace in the Strait at serious risk".
An editorial which appeared in the government China Daily newspaper said the decision was a "provocation, which leads the two sides of the Strait to the most serious crisis since the time of Chiang Kai-shek was driven out by Mao".
The reactions in Chinese students' blog [virtual diaries] were still less diplomatic. One of the students who have always been educated to hold the torch of nationalism said: "Ah-Bian [the by-name of President Chen] is severely trying our patience. Let's fight the war. Forget the Olympics."
The Office, created by Kuomintang nationalists in 1991, had in fact been redundant for more than six years. The phrase which came with the decision is also under fire. Chen said: "Together with the CNI, even the Unification guidelines will no longer be applicable", meaning all the diplomatic strategies geared towards maintaining the status quo, and finalized when the island was returned into the hands of Beijing.
Seeking to enhance popular consensus, Chen today commemorated the 59th anniversary of a massacre in which the army of Chiang Kai-shek killed more than 28,000 tribal people. A week ago, for the first time in Taiwan's history, a statement signed by the Presidential Office described Chiang as the one "truly responsible for the massacre".