China warns Taiwan of new 'crisis'
Tuesday, February 28, 2006; Posted: 3:08 a.m. EST (08:08 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/02/27/china.taiwan.tension/index.html
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(CNN) -- China is warning of a new crisis in its relations with Taiwan following the latter's decision to scrap a "reunification" council -- a move Beijing regards as deliberatively provocative.
Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian on Monday abolished the National Unification Council -- which was set up in 1990 -- saying the grouping "ceases to function."
China has interpreted the move as a bid by Chen to promote Taiwan's independence from the mainland, something Beijing vigorously opposes.
Although China and Taiwan have had separate governments since 1949, Beijing maintains the island region is a renegade province and has often threatened to use its military might to regain political control if the independence issue is pushed too hard.
In a strongly worded editorial Tuesday in the state-run China Daily newspaper, Bejing made clear its position on Chen's gambit, saying his actions "threaten to to destroy peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region."
"His further escalation of secessionist activities will no doubt stoke tensions and trigger a serious crisis in the (Taiwan) Straits," the editorial said.
It concluded: "Chen is doomed to failure as the entire Chinese nation stands united to fight secessionist activities and safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The editorial echoes sentiments expressed on Monday by China's policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office which warned Chen's decision would spark a crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
Still, China said it would push for a peaceful resolution to the dispute, according to a report from The Associated Press.
"The Taiwan compatriots are our bone-and-flesh brothers," according to a government statement reported by the AP. "We will continue to uphold and promote peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations ... and strive for the prospect of peaceful unification."
The decision to close down the council also prompted condemnation in a series of editorials in Hong Kong-based newspapers Tuesday.
And a spokesman from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "regret" at Taiwan's move, saying it will "raise concerns about Taiwan's intentions and it is not conducive to the maintenance of stable cross-strait relations."
Many analysts believe Chen's abolition of the council was driven by domestic political imperatives.
Chen's Democratic Progressive Party suffered a beating in legislative elections last December and his popularity ratings are down.
Chen's heightening of tensions with Beijing will rally his political base at home, analysts say, and improve both his current standing and his party's prospects for the next presidential election.
But these developments put the United States in an uncomfortable position, says CNN's Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy.
The U.S. is Taiwan's main ally and key military supplier and has pledged to defend Taiwan if China attacks.
But it is less clear what Washington would actually do if Chen provoked an attack, Chinoy says.
Preoccupied by Iraq, Iran and domestic headaches, the last thing U.S. President George W. Bush wants is a crisis that could, in the worst-case scenario, lead to a Sino-American military confrontation, Chinoy says.
In recent weeks, American officials bluntly warned Chen not to abandon the National Unification Council.
"He's simply ignored American appeals and moved ahead," says Chinoy, "raising the prospect of renewed tension in what has always been, potentially, one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints."
CNN's Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy contributed to this report
Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
A group of people from the Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council protest Chen's decision.
