A spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Tuesday responded to questions raised by Xinhua on Chen Shui-bian's latest remarks on "Taiwan independence" during an interview with the Washington Post on Monday.

"We have taken notice of Chen's remarks," said the spokesman, "We believe that the massive Taiwanese compatriots have also learned about it."

In the interview, Chen once again drummed for "Taiwan independence", which clearly indicates that he has stubbornly adhered to the stance of continuing to promote "Taiwan independence" and trying to separate Taiwan from China, the spokesman said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2004)