Chinese government spokesman said in Beijing Wednesday that China will defend the one-China policy at any cost.

"We'll keep watch on Chen Shuibian's new moves. If he has broken the bottom line, we will pay any cost to safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Zhang Mingqing, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office at a regular press conference.

He said Chen Shuibian has never given up his vain hope of "Taiwan Independence" and will take any chance to display his real thoughts.

"Chinese compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Straits should keep high vigilance on this," said Zhang.

When asked for comments on Chen's suggestion that "Taiwan" is the best option for a shortened form of the "Republic of China," the spokesman said this very suggestion has revealed again Chen's separatist stance and his promotion of independence for Taiwan, an inseparable province of China.

"Recalling Chen's earlier words claiming that his main task in the coming four years is 'to seek a solution to the positioning of Taiwan,' we can tell that his 'constitutional reform' promise in his May 20 speech is totally hypocritical," said Zhang.

He said there is only one China, to which both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland belong.

"Judging from his recent activities and remarks, especially his title seeking effort for Taiwan, we find that Chen's neither accepted the one-China principle nor stopped his pro-independence activities."
"But his attempts to split China have run against people's wills and will never succeed," said Zhang.

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2004)