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China still keen on using force: DPP

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Friday denied a report that China has quietly decided since 2004 to ease its stance on recovering Taiwan by force if necessary.

A senior DPP official said he had seen no sign Beijing was playing down its vow to unify Taiwan with China.

"China has been increasing the number of missiles targeting Taiwan, suppressing our space in the international community and refusing any forms of dialogue with Taiwanese leaders," said Lai I-chung (賴怡忠), head of the DPP's China affairs department, on Friday.

Lai made the remarks in response to a news report in the Washington Post on Friday that said China had adjusted its policy on Taiwan by accepting the current status quo of "two Chinas" with Taiwan independent "in fact but not in law."

"China doesn't need to talk about liberating Taiwan all the time now since it has adopted the `Anti-Secession Law,' which provides a legal basis for using force against Taiwan," Lai said.

The Washington Post report, citing diplomats and senior Beijing officials, said Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) had no plans to act militarily against Taiwan unless the situation changed in a way that risked causing him to "lose face."

The US has recognized the shift in Hu's policy toward Taiwan and a partnership of sorts has evolved in which Beijing relies on Washington to ensure that pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) does nothing to push China up against the wall, the report said.

Beijing's policy is to encourage more economic and other exchanges between the two rivals in hopes that, at some undefined point, China would become liberalized enough that peaceful unification would be possible, it also said.

A sign of warming relations between China and Taiwan, it said, was their agreement on Wednesday to launch regular non-stop, cross-strait charter passenger flights for holidays and special needs, as well as expanding cargo services.

Lai, however, denied the agreement was a sign of goodwill between Beijing and Taipei.

"Taiwan has long been ready to expand cross-strait air links but the process was stalled by China for two years. I do not think the belated agreement can be considered goodwill," Lai said.
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