In its latest bid to put its own spin on news coming out of Taiwan, Beijing delivered a harangue yesterday placing the blame for the cross-strait stalemate squarely on President Chen Shui-bian's (
"The goodwill gestures expressed by the Taiwan leader are insincere and inadequate," Zhang Mingqing (
Echoing the theme, the People's Daily, China's mouthpiece, commented on Chen's first year in office by slamming him in a lengthy editorial for acting conciliatory while allowing pro-independence elements to trumpet their cause uncurbed.
"It is the [Chen] administration that has shut down communications by refusing to accept the one China consensus struck by the two sides back in 1992," Zhang said. "We'll continually keep our eyes open for what he says and does."
Struggling to mend frayed ties with Beijing, Chen has shunned assertive language on the sovereignty dispute. On May 19, he reiterated a wish to personally attend the APEC meeting in Shanghai in October and meet his Chinese counterpart Jiang Zemin (
"We welcome dialogue at anytime, anywhere under the principle of democracy, equality and peace," Chen has said.
But the Chinese official flatly dismissed those terms as distractions to blur the "one China" issue, adding that Chen's proposed APEC attendance is politically motivated.
"Nothing short of acknowledging `one China' on Taiwan's part will bring about talks," Zhang said. He added that China has sufficient might to crush pro-independence forces, if necessary.
Citing polls conducted by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, Zhang said more and more Taiwanese people favor unification with China.
The number of people backing unification has increased from 18 to 24 percent in the last year, while those who said they could live with the "one country, two systems" arrangement increased from 3 to 15 percent, Zhang said.
Although extremely careful with his language when discussing the issue of sovereignty, Chen has insisted that the 23 million people of Taiwan have the ultimate say on the country's destiny. An overwhelming majority prefer the status quo.
Chen, who is in Panama to cement bilateral ties, cast the "one country, two systems" formula as demeaning to Taiwan. "The ROC is not a local province or a part of another country," Chen said during an address to the Panamanian parliament.
Asked why China has limited its contact with Taiwan to its opposition and business leaders, Zhang said Beijing welcomes "anyone who gives up the pro-independence cause to visit the country."
He again called on Taiwan to lift the ban on direct links, saying restrictions have failed to prevent Taiwan investors from moving across the Strait in recent years.
But Zhang denied the contention that cross-strait relations are stable, calling the optimism unfounded.
"Taiwan leaders like to boast of their ability to preserve stability in the Taiwan Strait," he said. "People who say that are ignorant of the facts."
In Taipei, DPP legislative leader Chou Po-lun (
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