China warned President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen raised the issue of constitutional reform at a seminar on Sunday sponsored by the Democratic Progressive Party.
Chen at the occasion said that redefining the nation's territory in relation to China would be on the agenda as part of his push for constitutional reform, something which Beijing views as code for Taiwanese independence.
zero tolerance
"We will not tolerate Taiwan's de jure independence by a constitutional amendment," the spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Li Weiyi (
"We are closely paying attention to the movement of constitutional reform on the Taiwan island. We will be highly alert to any development of the situation," he said.
China's parliament last year approved an "Anti-Secession" law authorizing military force against Taiwan if moves were made toward formal independence.
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Chen told the weekend seminar that the nation should overhaul its Constitution, which was enacted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government in China in 1947 and has gone through seven amendments since 1991.
According to the Constitution, Taiwanese territory includes all of China, but in reality only Taiwan and some islands are ruled from Taipei.
Chen has previously shunned the sensitive topic of territory by saying Taiwan needed a new constitution only to enhance government efficiency.
Chen's opponents have said he is only playing the constitutional and territory cards to garner support and divert attention from his corruption woes.
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