Hu Jintao warns mainland ready to do everything to prevent Taiwan secession
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Chinese President Hu Jintao warned Taiwan yesterday not to make any attempt to break away from the mainland, saying Beijing "resolutely opposed" the island's planned referendum on its UN membership.
In his first public response to Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's controversial plan, President Hu said Beijing had "great sincerity" and was trying its utmost to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He warned however that China would stop at nothing to prevent Taiwan moving towards independence.
Taiwan, under the official name of the Republic of China, lost its UN seat in 1971 and has its efforts to rejoin repeatedly blocked by Beijing.
Thus far the United Nations has rejected Taipei’s request, upholding the 1971 resolution which recognises the mainland as China’s sole representative.
Hu’s statement reflects Communist China’s traditional attitude towards the Taiwan issue, which has been de facto separate from the mainland since the end of the Civil War in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces were driven across the Taiwan Strait.
However, the Chinese leader deliberately chose this moment to repeat China’s claim, i.e. a few days before his meeting with his US counterpart, George W. Bush, expected today at the APEC summit, to drive home a clear message to all parties at the meeting that it will not tolerate any form of independence by Taiwan.
For some analysts, Hu is likely to get a positive US response since Washington has publicly criticised Taiwanese President Chen's referendum plan for unnecessarily provoking the mainland.
In 2005 Beijing actually adopted an anti-secession law providing the legal basis for the use of “non-peaceful” means to maintain Chinese unity.
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