A spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office Friday criticized Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian, for his recent suggestion that the word "Taiwan" is the best option for the short form of the "Republic of China."

Chen's remarks lay bare his separatist nature and his desire to promote the independence of China's Taiwan Province, the spokesman said.

Earlier, Chen said that in the future, his main job will be to find a solution for the positioning of Taiwan, which indicates that his promise in his May 20 speech is hypocritical, noted the spokesman, who called on Chinese from both sides of the Taiwan Straits to keep a high level of vigilance on the issue.

The spokesman reiterated that there is only one China in the world, that both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland belong to the same China, and that China's sovereignty and territorial integrity are inseparable. Chen's pro-independence position is unacceptable and can never succeed, the spokesman said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2004)