`Anti-secession' law said to show Beijing's resolve

"So it's not simply a difference in wording, but a more comprehensive description [of China's policy on unification]."

Zhang Tongxin, director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Research Center at the People's University

China's draft anti-secession law shows the Communist Party's resolve to achieve eventual unification with Taiwan, and codifies the policies developed over the last 25 years, a Chinese expert on Taiwan affairs said yesterday.

The law codifies policies including the "one China" and "peaceful reunification" principles to "express the mainland's resolve in reunification," said Zhang Tongxin (張同新), director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Research Center at the People's University in Beijing.

Zhang said the use of the phrase "non-peaceful means" in the new law has a wider scope than earlier expressions that said China "reserved the right to use force" against Taiwan.

"These two wordings are the same in nature, but they have a different scope," he said.

Non-peaceful means, he said, could include non-combative "confrontation" or "coercive means."

"For example, a blockade to stop energy [resources] going into Taiwan, in order to achieve a certain goal," he said.

"So it's not simply a difference in wording, but a more comprehensive description [of China's policy on unification]," he said.

The law will also make it a fait accompli that Taiwan will unify with China sooner or later, he said.

"It won't be changed because of changes in the Chinese leadership," Zhang said. "Policies might change when leaders change."

The law is not expected to set any timetable for Taiwan's unification with China, but last year former president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) reportedly set a target date of around 2020.

Zhang refuted claims that the passing of the law will raise tension across the Taiwan Strait, saying that the law aimed to "prevent unexpected situations" caused by pro-independence activities in Taiwan.

"If there is any increased tension, it is because of the Taiwan side," he said, adding that the law was drafted in response to a "series of Taiwan independence activities."