At a group discussion with deputies of Taiwan origin to the National People's Congress (NPC), in session here since Monday, Qian said the one-China principle can neither be evaded nor blurred.

But the leader of the Taiwan authorities does not even accept the "one China" principle and refuses to recognize he is Chinese. This is the root cause of the current tensions between the Straits, he said.

Acceptance of the principle by the leader of the Taiwan authorities will be conducive to stability in Taiwan and the development of cross-Straits relations, and the earlier the acceptance, the better, the vice-premier said.

According to him, the Taiwan issue is not only a problem left over by China's civil war, it is also the result of U.S. military intervention as the United States has kept selling advanced weapons to Taiwan after it had established diplomatic relations with China.

Japan occupied Taiwan for 50 years and even today a few people in Taiwan still subconsciously regard themselves as "subjects of the Japanese monarch."

"This is the complicated international backdrop of the Taiwan issue," Qian said.

There is only one China in the world, both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, and China's sovereignty and territorial integrity can never be separated. This is the common point on the basis of which the two sides of the Straits adhere to the one-China principle, said the vice-premier.

"What we adhere to is one China that embraces the mainland and Taiwan," he said. "We understand the aspirations of Taiwan compatriots to maintain the status quo, and the principle of ` peaceful reunification and one country, two systems' is the best way to safeguard the benefits of Taiwan compatriots and the status quo."

Qian reiterated that the principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" will remain unchanged and hoped that more Taiwan compatriots, especially the younger generation, would come to the mainland for visits or study.

(People’s Daily 03/09/2001)