China derides advisory group's findings

Zhang Mingqing, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office under China's State Council at a press conference in Beijing yesterday. Zhang demanded that Taiwan commit to its version of the "one China" principle. PHOTO: AP

China flatly rejected as "word games" a Taiwan bid to set the stage for reconciliation talks and told Taipei yesterday not to be optimistic about cross-strait relations.

It was the first explicit official Chinese reaction to the President's Advisory Group on Cross Strait Relations' recommendation that Taiwan's Constitution could allow President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to meet Beijing's demand to embrace the "one China" principle without actually saying the words.

"I don't understand what exactly this body is and I have no interest in making a comment," said Zhang Mingqing (張銘清), spokesman for Taiwan Affairs Office under China's State Council.

"What they are doing is playing games with words," he told a news conference. "Those suggestions are neither here nor there, neither fish nor fowl (不三不四, 不倫不類).

"We are resolutely opposed to any person or any so-called committee refusing to recognize `one China.' If this goes on, we feel it is very dangerous," Zhang said.

In response to Zhang's remarks, chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday expressed her disappointment.

"After so much goodwill has been extended by our president in his inaugural speech and our government as well, China still shows no signs of flexibility in its [cross-strait] stance," Tsai said, adding that the Taiwan government would not bring up the "special state-to-state" relationship to deliberately challenge China's "one China" principle.

Government spokesman Su Tzen-ping (蘇正平) also urged China to be more understanding with Taiwan's efforts in forging a consensus.

"There has to be more room for the possibility of peaceful interaction to develop relations across the Strait," Su said.

Both the ruling DPP and the opposition alliance also expressed their regret at Zhang's "unfriendly" remarks.

"China is still hostile to Taiwan. The consensus reached by the advisory group is acceptable by the majority [of Taiwan's people]. China's response is not helpful to cross-strait relations," DPP legislative whip Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) said, adding that the DPP has conceded in its cross-strait stance.

At a joint press conference, the opposition alliance lambasted China for its arbitrary reaction. The alliance, however, urged the president not to misinterpret the statement and get to know better what China thinks.

Zhang also dismissed as "excessively optimistic" Chen's comment to visiting former US Vice President Dan Quayle on Monday that he was confident Taiwan's relations with Beijing would not worsen in the next year.

"No one who proceeds with reality as his starting point could talk of `security' or `cross-strait policy success,'" Zhang said.

Chen's advisory body on China recommended on Sunday that Taiwan's 1947 Constitution could allow Chen to accommodate Beijing's insistence on embracing the "one China" principle, without actually having to say those words.

Zhang also demanded Chen return to a 1992 consensus which enabled landmark talks in 1993.