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posted February 27, 2006 at 11:00 a.m.

Taiwan's president abolishes China reunification committee

Move angers China, worries US, may lead to crisis in Taiwan Strait.

By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com

The president of Taiwan Monday abolished the National Unification Council, a committee ostensibly responsible for overseeing reunification with China. Reuters reports that President Chen Shui-bian had been under strong pressure from China and the United States not to abolish the committee since he announced his intention to do so last week. But he went ahead with his plans anyway.

"Taiwan has no intention of changing the status quo and firmly opposes any use of non-peaceful means that will cause the status quo to change," Chen said after a meeting with his top national security advisers.
Chen, keen to shake off Beijing's claim of sovereignty over the self-ruled island, declared the National Unification Council has "ceased to function" and guidelines on unification have "ceased to apply."

China passed an antisecession law last March, which could lead to war if Taiwan declares formal independence.


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The Associated Press reports that on Sunday, China accused Taiwan of inciting tensions by even debating the future of the committee.

"The further escalation of Taiwanese independence and secessionist activities, pushed by Chen Shui-bian, will no doubt cause a serious crisis across the Taiwan Strait," said the Chinese government statement.

Chen was elected on a pro-independence platform in 2000. The BBC reports that Chen said at the time he would not scrap the committee or its guidelines. But he now says the decision to close the council was based on China's military threat.

The Financial Times reports that Chen is also unwilling to reassure the United States, its only major ally, that he will not declare Taiwan's independence from China, a move likely to lead to war.

Mr Chen's aides said his hardline stance had arisen from deep frustrations over US-Taiwan relations. After China enshrined its threat of military force against Taiwan in March last year, Taiwan heeded Washington's advice and refrained from aggressive reactions. But Taipei feels the island has been weakened rather than received anything in return.

The United States is legally committed to make sure that Taiwan is defended from any attack from China. There was no word Monday from the American Institute in Taiwan – the de facto US embassy – on the move by Chen.

The official Chinese news website, Xinhuanet.com, reported Monday that Chinese in America denounced the Taiwanese government's decision to abolish the committee. Chuen Hsiung Hua, president of the New York Association for Peaceful Unification of China opened a symposium this past weekend by voicing what he said was the Chinese community's opposition to the move.

After visits to the mainland by leaders of some major parties on the island province last year, relations across the Straits have improved with deepening trade contacts and frequent personnel exchanges, Hua said. The Taiwan authorities, however, turned a deaf ear to the reality and attempted again to instigate conflicts both inside the island and across the straits, Hua added.
By doing so, Chen Shui-bian is aimed at strengthening his position within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the cost of provoking tension in cross-Straits relations, Hua said, stressing that these attempts, which run counter to the wishes of Taiwan compatriots, will only make himself even more isolated, bring instability to the region and damage the already flagging economy of the island province.

Reuters reports that Taiwanese businessmen working in China have also been critical of Chen's decision. Taiwan investors have invested more than $100 billion in China since détente began in the late '80s. Chen Guoyuan, secretary general of the Association of Taiwan-Funded Enterprises in Beijing, said the wishes of the group were very simple: "We require only the rights of existence and development, and we don't want Taiwan to set any grey future for us."