Tang Shubei, director of the Beijing-based Cross-Straits Relations Research Centre, said that the promotion of a pro-independence culture is aimed at splitting the country by severing cultural links that bond both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a seminar titled "The Chinese Culture and Cross-Straits Relations."Its theme is "carrying forward the fine traditions of the Chinese culture and strengthening cross-Straits cultural exchanges."

More than 50 scholars and experts from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao and the Chinese mainland attended the two-day event organized by the research centre.

"The advocacy of 'Taiwan independence' through cultural measures is a major means by pro-independence forces of pushing ahead with their separatist attempt,"said Tang, also former executive vice-president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).

He warned against the potential detrimental consequences of pro-independence cultural activities, which is being used to provide an ideological and social basis for Taiwan independence.

"The move to promote a pro-independence culture is actually a plot to change Taiwan people's recognition of Chinese culture and even the Chinese nation and motherland, with an aim of undermining the basis for a peaceful reunification between Taiwan and the mainland,"Tang said.

He accused Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian and his predecessor Lee Teng-hui of conniving at and backing the promotion of a pro-independence culture as part of their political conspiracy.

Lee attempted to cut off the historical and cultural bonds between Taiwan and the mainland while politically advocating his "two states" theory, which defines the cross-Straits ties as a state-to-state relationship.

And Chen has refused to accept the one-China principle and denied the 1992 consensus that commits both sides of the Taiwan Straits to upholding that principle since he took power on May 20 last year. He has even refused to recognize himself as Chinese.

In terms of culture, Chen advocates "basing it on Taiwan's local culture" to stir up confrontation between the respective cultures in Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.

Tang said splittist forces on the island are promoting their pro-independence view of history that "Taiwan is not part of China" and "Taiwan is Taiwan, China is China."

Meanwhile, they deny that Taiwanese culture is part of the Chinese culture by maliciously under-playing the influence of the latter on the former, according to Tang.

He argued that all these pro-independence cultural concepts distort the truth that the Taiwanese culture originated from the Chinese culture, and like all the other regional cultures on the mainland it is an inseparable part of the Chinese culture.

"Although the Taiwanese culture has developed its own peculiarities, its origin is still the Chinese culture," Tang stressed.

He called for joint efforts from both sides of the Taiwan Straits to resolutely oppose the promotion of a pro-independence culture while further developing the fine traditions of the Chinese culture and improving cultural exchanges between the two sides.

"The move to engage in cultural independence in a bid to sever links between the Taiwanese culture and Chinese culture is doomed to failure just as the political attempt to separate Taiwan from the Chinese territory is a dead end," Tang said.

(China Daily 06/27/2001)