China will "uncompromisingly" oppose any moves towards independence by Taiwan, Premier Wen Jiabao (
"We will uncompromisingly oppose secessionist activities aimed at Taiwan independence," Wen told the opening day of the National People's Congress annual session.
Tensions rose last week after President Chen Shui-bian (
The council was considered largely symbolic and had been dormant since 2000 but Chen's decision infuriated Beijing, which accused him of pushing the region toward disaster.
"Everyone wants cross-strait relations to be peaceful and stable, and develop to the mutual benefit of both sides," Wen said.
"Anyone who tries to reverse this major trend will most certainly fail. It is the common wish of all Chinese people to see the ultimate realization of the great cause of national reunification, a process that no one can stop," he said.
New Tone
However Wen did not directly threaten any military action if Taipei were to formally break away, in line with generally toned-down rhetoric that China is employing so as not to give ammunition to Taiwan's independence supporters.
Parliament last year passed an "Anti-Secession" Law that it asserts gives its military the legal basis to attack Taiwan if it "moves toward independence."
The law allows the use of "non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity" if all else fails.
Wen's comments on Taiwan, made toward the end of a wide-ranging two-hour speech, received one of the loudest rounds of applause from the 2,927 delegates to the congress.
One delegate, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) official, was quoted by the Xinhua news agency as saying the army resolutely opposed "Taiwan's independence" and will be prepared for a battle if the situation came to that.
Military plans
"We shall make ample preparations for a military fight. When the party and people call on us to fulfill our duty, we can live up to their expectations," Lieutenant General Huang Cisheng (
But he added the PLA will follow President Hu Jintao's (
Another military delegate, Major General Deng Xiaohong (
China's vast countryside is home to 800 million of its 1.3 billion people, many of whom have failed to share in the fruits of the booming economy. Government promises to spread prosperity have taken on special urgency amid mounting rural anger over chronic poverty, corruption and other problems.
Despite pledging to focus investment on the rural hinterlands, Wen made no direct mention of the abuses that have sparked unrest, particularly land seizures for factories and other projects and complaints that farmers are paid too little compensation.
A 15,000-member security force was deployed around the hall to block protests, and pedestrians were stopped and questioned.
The budget for the country's 2.5 million-member armed forces also received a 14.7 percent increase to 283.8 billion yuan (US$35.3 billion).
also see stories:
Beijing using blogs to fuel interest in ceremonial politics
Wen forecasts slower economic growth
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
Seven hundred and sixty-four foreigners were arrested last year for acting as money mules for criminals, with many entering Taiwan on a tourist visa for all-expenses-paid trips, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Saturday. Although from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 last year, 26,478 people were arrested for working as money mules, the bureau said it was particularly concerned about those entering the country as tourists or migrant workers who help criminals and scammers pick up or transfer illegally obtained money. In a report, officials divided the money mules into two groups, the first of which are foreigners, mainly from Malaysia
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
RSS