[Mb-civic] CBC News - CHINA REVEALS TAIWAN ANTI-SECESSION LAW

Tue Mar 8 10:49:41 PST 2005

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CHINA REVEALS TAIWAN ANTI-SECESSION LAW
WebPosted Tue Mar  8 06:02:34 2005

beijing---China has introduced details of a proposed anti-secession law
that would give Beijing the power to take military action to stop
Taiwan's efforts to achieve formal independence.

 INDEPTH: Taiwan

The law, read before the National People's Congress, doesn't provide
details about what might trigger China to take action against Taiwan.

"If possibilities for a peaceful reunification should be completely
exhausted, the state shall employ non-peaceful means and other necessary
measures to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wang
Zhaoguo, the deputy chairman of the NPC's Standing Committee told about
3,000 people gathered in the Great Hall of the People.

 FROM MAY 20, 2004: Taiwan president calls for 'new start' with China

The two have been separated since 1949, but China claims the island as
its own territory.

China has repeatedly threatened to invade if Taiwan tries to make its
independence permanent.

The new law doesn't propose new conditions or make new threats, but it
does lay out for the first time legal requirements for military action.

The proposed law, it said, was sparked by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-
bian's plan to hold a referendum on a new constitution for the island.
Chinese officials are concerned it could include a declaration of
independence.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which handles the island's relations
with China, said the law amounts to a "blank cheque" to invade.

"Our government lodges strong protest against the vicious attempt and
brutal means &#8230; to block Taiwanese from making their free choice,"
said a council statement.

Taiwan will hold large-scale military exercises from mid-April to August
to practice knocking down Chinese missiles and fighting Chinese
commandos, its defence ministry said.