"The Taiwan question holds the key to a healthy China-US relationship," Qian said while addressing a welcome luncheon jointly hosted by the National Committee on US-China Relations, US-China Business Council, US-China Policy Foundation and the Nixon Center.

"There is only one China in the world. Both the mainland and Taiwan are part of China. China's sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division," the vice premier stated.

"It is the firm resolve of all the Chinese residing at home and abroad to settle the Taiwan question and achieve the reunification of the motherland at an early date," he stressed.

"Our basic principle on settling the Taiwan question is ' peaceful reunification and one country, two systems'," Qian said. "Once the Taiwan authorities accept the one-China principle, the two sides across the Taiwan Straits may resume talks, and anything can be discussed in such talks."

According to Qian, under the "one country, two systems" formula, Taiwan may retain its economic system and way of life. It may manage its own party, government and military systems, maintain its judicial independence and even retain the power of final adjudication.

"So, for the people of Taiwan and the whole country, peaceful reunification at an early date will bring them all the benefits and not a single harm," Qian said.

"The root cause for the tension across the Straits lies with the separatist attempt for Taiwan's independence from China. This is absolutely impermissible," he stated.

The Taiwan question is a legacy of China's civil war and also a result of foreign interference, Qian said, noting that there is no doubt that it is up to the Chinese people to solve it among themselves and the issue brooks no foreign intervention.

"Due to historical reasons, most of the ups and downs in China- US relations can be traced to the Taiwan question," he said, " How this question is handled has a direct bearing on a stable development of our relations."

"Successive US administrations, Republican or Democratic, have all undertaken in explicit terms to implement the one-China principle, observe the three China-US Joint Communiqués and the principles of mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Qian said.

"To honor these commitments is vital to China-US relations," the vice premier noted.

"An early reunification of China is conducive to a healthy development of our bilateral ties and to the peace of the Asia- Pacific and the world at large. It will benefit both China and the US," he added.

(Xinhua 03/24/2001)