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 Taiwan has been part of the sacred Chinese territory since ancient times. In 1945, when the Chinese won the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-45), compatriots across the Taiwan Straits shared the joy of Taiwan's return to the embrace of the motherland. In 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, the world saw a China enjoying complete sovereignty and towe  ring
in the East again. Regretfully, Taiwan was unable to be reunified with
the mainland because of ongoing civil war, and due to the armed intervention
of foreign countries. The Chinese people had to continue their struggle
for reunification across the Taiwan Straits. At the end of the 20th Century,
China made great achievements in its reform and opening-up drive. Hong
Kong and Macao successively returned to the embrace of the motherland,
which ended the history of Western powers occupying Chinese territory,
marking great progress in the  process
of reunification. Chinese compatriots at home and abroad have since become
even more concerned about the early settlement of the Taiwan issue, and
the complete reunification of the motherland. President Hu Jintao's Four-Point Guidelines President Hu Jintao has said that the Chinese people will do their best to seek a peaceful reunification of the motherland but will never tolerate "Taiwan independence," during a panel discussion of members representing the Taiwan region at the Third Session of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on March 4, 2005. He pointed out that settlement of the Taiwan issue and reunification of the motherland accords with the wishes of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and that great efforts toward this have been made for several decades. However, tremendous and complicated changes have taken place on the Taiwan island in recent years, and the intensified activities of the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces have had a grave impact on the peaceful and stable development of cross-Straits relations, said the president, citing the Taiwan authorities' pursuit of a "creeping independence' in politics, culture and education by means of "rectification of Taiwan's name" and "desinification." The Taiwan authorities have deliberately provoked antagonism across the Taiwan Straits and tried every means to undermine the status quo that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China. Evidence has shown that the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and their activities are increasingly becoming the "biggest obstacle for the development of cross-Straits relations" and the "biggest real threat to peace and stability in the region around the Taiwan Straits," said President Hu. "If we do not oppose and check the 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces and their activities resolutely, they will certainly pose a severe threat to China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, ruin the prospects of peaceful reunification, and harm the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation." The president acknowledged that at present, some "new and positive factors" that are conducive to checking the "Taiwan independence" secessionist activities have emerged in cross-Straits relations and the tense situation across the Straits has developed "certain signs of relaxation." However, "the struggle against the ‘Taiwan independence' secessionist forces and their activities remains stark and complex." Hu put forth a four-point guideline for the development of cross-Straits relations under the new circumstances--"never sway in adhering to the one-China principle, never give up efforts to seek peaceful reunification, never change the principle of placing hope on the Taiwan people and never compromise in opposing the ‘Taiwan independence' secessionist activities." May 17 Statement on Cross-Straits Relations The Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council were authorized to issue a statement on current cross-Straits relations on May 15, 2004. The following is a translation of the full text of the statement: At present, relations across the Taiwan Straits are severely tested. To put a resolute check on the "Taiwan independence" activities aimed at dismembering China and to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits is the most pressing task before the compatriots on both sides of the Straits. Four years ago, Chen Shui-bian pledged himself to the so-called "five no's" policy. His track record, however, was one of broken promises and bad faith. He said he would not declare "independence," but he has mustered together all kinds of separatists for "Taiwan independence" activities. He said he would not change Taiwan's so-called "national title," but he has incessantly clamored for "rectification of Taiwan's name" and "dezincification" in Taiwan. He said he would not push for the inclusion of the so-called "state-to-state" description in the island's constitution, but he has dished out a separatist proposition of "one country on each side." He said he would not promote "referendum to change the status quo in regard to the question of independence or unification," but he has tried every possible means to promote "Taiwan independence" by way of referendum. He said there was no question of abolishing the "National Unification Council" and the "National Unification Guidelines," but he has long since shelved them, letting them exist only in name. What is more, Chen Shui-bian has left Taiwan society deeply torn with his vicious mischaracterization of the popular will of the Taiwan people, his unbridled instigation of hostility and animosity toward the mainland, and his frenzied provocation to the status quo that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China. He has even put out a timetable to move the island to independence through the making of a new constitution, thus pushing cross-Straits relations to the brink of danger. "Taiwan independence" does not lead to peace, nor national dismemberment to stability. We will never compromise on the one-China principle, never give up our efforts for peace negotiations, never falter in our sincere pursuit of peace and development on both sides of the Straits with our Taiwan compatriots, never wavering our resolve to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and never put up with "Taiwan independence." No matter who holds power in Taiwan in the next four years, as long as they recognize that there is only one China in the world and that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China, abandon the "Taiwan Independence" stance and stop separatist activities, cross-Straits relations can hold out a bright prospect of peace, stability and development along the following lines: – Resumption of cross-Straits dialogue and negotiations, formal ending of the state of hostility through equal-footed consultations, establishing a mechanism of mutual trust in the military field and jointly building a framework for peaceful, stable and growing cross-Straits relations. – Maintaining close links in an appropriate manner between the two sides of the Straits so as to address the problems in cross-Straits relations through timely consultations. – Realizing comprehensive, direct and two-way "three links" so as to facilitate commerce, trade, exchanges, travel, tourism and other activities by compatriots on both sides. – Establishing closer economic cooperation arrangement on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit. Taiwan can optimize its industrial structure and upgrade its enterprise competitiveness in the course of cross-Straits economic exchanges and cooperation and join the mainland in meeting the challenges of economic globalization and regional integration. Taiwan can also acquire greater market access on the mainland for its agricultural products. – Increasing exchanges between compatriots on the two sides of the Straits in the interest of removing misunderstanding, enhancing mutual trust and building common ground. – The Taiwan compatriots can realize their aspirations for cross-Straits peace, social stability and economic prosperity while enjoying harmony and tranquility in cross-Straits ties. – Properly addressing, through consultations, the issue of international living space of the Taiwan region commensurate with its status so as to share the dignity of the Chinese nation. If, however, the Taiwan leaders should cling to their "Taiwan independence" position and their separatist "one country on each side" stance, the aforementioned prospect will not come true. What is more, hopes for peace, stability, mutual benefit and a win-win scenario in cross-Straits relations will evaporate. The Taiwan leaders have before them two roads. One is to pull back immediately from their dangerous lurch toward independence, recognizing that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one and the same China and dedicating their efforts to closer cross-Straits relations. The other is to keep following their separatist agenda to cut Taiwan from the rest of China and, in the end, meet their own destruction by playing with fire. The Taiwan leaders must choose between the two roads. The Chinese people are not afraid of ghosts, nor will they be intimidated by brutal force. To the Chinese people, nothing is more important and more sacred than safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country. We will do our utmost with the maximum sincerity to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification of the motherland. However, if the Taiwan leaders should move recklessly to provoke major incidents of "Taiwan independence," the Chinese people will crush their schemes firmly and thoroughly at any cost. Spring Festival Charter Flights At 21:30 on February 20, 2005, Flight HU 7952 run by the mainland-based Hainan Airlines landed at the Capital International Airport of Beijing, ending the nonstop charter flight service across the Taiwan Straits for this year's Lunar New Year holidays. The notable Spring Festival charter flights for Taiwan business people this year began on January 29, with an Air China flight heading for Taipei, the first mainland civil airliner to fly to the island in 56 years. Statistics from the General Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) show that 12 carriers from the mainland and Taiwan offered 48 round-trips during the temporary service. A total of 10,773 Taiwan business people and their families in the mainland took the special charter flights to return home for the Lunar New Year that fell on February 9, of whom 5,224 took flights of six mainland airlines, and 5,549 were aboard flights of six Taiwan airlines. Compared with the first Spring Festival charter flights in 2003, charter flights in 2005 took off from two more cities, Beijing and Guangzhou, in addition to Shanghai, Taipei and Kaohsiung, and six mainland airlines joined six Taiwan airlines to offer 32 more round-trips and send 8,295 more Taiwanese home. Thanks to excellent coordination between civil aviation sectors across the Straits, all preparations were completed quickly and efficiently, ensuring safe and smooth flights. All were happy with a job well done and expressed hope for direct flights across the Straits as soon as possible. There was a flood of positive feedback from passengers who said the move had brought happiness, peace and convenience for the festival, and promoted the realization of all-round, direct and two-way flights. They also expressed hope that civil aviation sectors on both sides of the Straits would adopt more active and efficient measures to substantially promote an early realization of the three "direct links" of mail, trade, and air and shipping services. |
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