This remark was made in a signed article, titled "There's No Way Out for Both 'Taiwan Independence' and 'Tibet Independence'", published by the Xinhua News Agency Sunday.

Taiwan authorities' allowance of the so-called "pure religious visit" by the Dalai Lama, who has long been engaged in separatist activities, indicated once again that it has no intention of improving cross-Straits relations but, instead, is intending to damage the ties, the article said.

The article pointed out that the Dalai Clique has collaborated with pro-independence forces in Taiwan for a long time.

In 1959, shortly after they fled to India after an armed rebellion, the Dalai Clique sent people to Taiwan in pursuit of support for their activities to split the motherland, but the then Taiwan rulers, Chiang Kai-sek and Chiang Ching-kuo, insisted on Tibet being part of China and refused to recognize the "Tibetan government in exile," only hooking in and using the group as an "anti-Communist force".

Unsatisfied with the Chiangs' attitudes, the Dalai Clique then turned to collaborate with separatist forces in the United States and later with Taiwan-based pro-independence parties like the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), resulting in adverse currents in Taiwan advocating "recognizing the exiled Tibetan government," "supporting the independence of Tibet," and abolishing the "Committee on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs" of Taiwan.

After Lee Teng-hui, a leader of Taiwan authorities after Chiang Ching-kuo, took office, he toed the separatist line and ignored opposition by the local people and invited the Dalai Lama to visit and open a religious fund in Taiwan, which is actually a permanent representative office that liaises with the "presidential palace" directly.

Last May, the new leader of Taiwan met, at his inauguration ceremony, with the "parliamentary leader" of the Dalai Clique and they reached a consensus to achieve the "independence" of Taiwan and Tibet through efforts in the three fields of "human rights," "religion" and "culture," according to the article.

The Taiwan Authorities invited the Dalai Lama to visit the island province to use his "reputation" to improve the "international transparency" of Taiwan, enhance its "international status," and increase its "international impact" and "living space," in order to win support from the international community for its own separatist activities, the article said.

Moreover, the Taiwan Authorities have been active in collaborating with the strategies of the anti-China forces in the west to "split up" and "westernize" China. While strengthening their collusion with the Falun Gong cult, "Democratic Movement" organizations and the so-called "human rights" groups, the Taiwan authorities want to form an alliance against the mainland of the motherland, by further increasing their association with "Tibet independence" forces.

The article reiterated that both Taiwan and Tibet have been inseparable parts of China since ancient times, which is a well-known, indisputable fact. The change in the administration of Taiwan can ever change the facts that Taiwan is part of China, that the international community recognize only one China, and that the majority of Taiwan compatriots' oppose "Taiwan independence."

One of the major factors causing Taiwan's current political instability, plummeting stock market, and chaos is that so far the Taiwan authorities have adhered to the stance of "Taiwan independence" stubbornly and refused to accept the one-China principle, the article noted.

The article said there is no point in the Taiwan authorities colluding with the "exiled Tibetan government," which has not received recognition from any country.

Any attempts to split the motherland run against the will of the Chinese people from different ethnic groups and the historic trend of unifying the motherland, and have no chance of succeeding, no matter what name or form they come under, the article said.

The article concluded that it is the only and correct way for the Taiwan authorities and the Dalai Clique to abandon the advocacy and activities for "Taiwan independence" and "Tibet independence," recognize the one-China principle, and recognize that Taiwan and Tibet are inseparable parts of China.

(People's Daily 04/09/2001)