BBC-China has announced the first details of a controversial law that would allow it to use force against Taiwan.
Legislator Wang Zhaoguo said such means would only be used as a last resort, if peaceful reunification efforts failed. {{more}}
A BBC correspondent in Beijing says anyone seeking clarity on the law will be disappointed, since the explanations were both brief and vague.
China sees Taiwan as its territory, and has threatened to use force if the island formally declares independence.
Taiwanese lawmakers responded quickly and angrily to the proposed legislation, saying it was a pretext for attack.
âIt has caused tension in the region,â said Chiu Tai-shan, vice chairman of Taiwanâs Mainland Affairs Council.
âCommunist China tries to use this bill to deny the sovereignty of the Republic of China [Taiwan] and unilaterally change the status quo of the Taiwan Strait,â he added.
âAnti-secessionâ bill
The draft law – known as the âanti-secession lawâ – is designed to spell out the legal steps required before China would take action against Taiwan.
âIf possibilities for a peaceful reunification should be completely exhausted, the state shall employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to protect Chinaâs sovereignty and territorial integrity,â Wang Zhaoguo said.
Some analysts said Chinaâs emphasis on ânon-peacefulâ means appeared designed to include alternatives to military force, such as blockades or sanctions.
Wang insisted that Beijing was still committed to a peaceful resolution.
But he added: âNo sovereign state can tolerate secession, and every sovereign state has the right to use necessary means to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.â
Wang also argued that Chinaâs basic policy towards Taiwan remained the âone country, two systemsâ formula, as is already employed in Hong Kong.
A final vote on the bill has been scheduled for Monday 14 March. According to a BBC correspondent in Beijing, Louisa Lim, there is no doubt that the bill will be passed, because the Chinese parliament is largely viewed as a rubber stamp.
âBlank cheque to invadeâ
Taiwan issued a strong protest against the draft law on Tuesday, saying it could set the stage for an attack by China.
The Mainland Affairs Council, which handles the islandâs policy on China, said the law âgives the [Chinese] military a blank cheque to invade Taiwanâ and âexposed the Chinese communistsâ attempt to use force to annex Taiwan and to be a regional power.â
âOur government lodges strong protest against the vicious attempt and brutal means… to block Taiwanese from making their free choice,â the council said in a statement.
China says the law was prompted in part by proposals to change Taiwanâs constitution. Beijing is concerned that a declaration of formal independence might be included in the constitutionâs new wording.
President Chen has repeatedly denied this, saying the changes are needed to modernise the way the island is governed.
He has also pledged not to move Taiwan towards independence during his term of office.
News
March 11, 2005
China passes controversial law