China’s Enactment of the “Anti-separation Law” (so-called Anti-secession Law) will Seriously Sabotage Cross-strait Relations
With regard to the statement of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on cross-strait relations in his government work report today (5th) at the Chinese National People’s Congress, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) indicated that Wen Jiabao has on the one hand declared that China will preserve peace across the Taiwan Strait and stabilize cross-strait relations, but on the other hand strongly asserted that strengthening national defense is a guarantee of national unification. This fully reflects their consistent stance of refusing to abandon the use of force against Taiwan. The MAC reiterated that as long as China does not renounce the use of force against Taiwan, there will never be a sufficient guarantee for peace and stability in cross-strait relations.
The MAC indicated that according to the figures issued by the Chinese government, China’s national defense budget in 2005 has increased by 12.6%, amounting to US$30 billion. The figure does not even include several undisclosed national defense expenditures. China has taken advantage of the high growth of its national defense budget and the rapid expansion of its military buildup over the years to reinforce its military deployment targeted at Taiwan and to enhance its influence in the international community. This trend will certainly become more significant and obvious after the enactment of the “anti-separation law.” This will result in serious consequences on regional peace and stability.
Wen Jiabao’s statement is an attempt to give a reasonable excuse for the enactment of the “anti-separation law.” The MAC said that if China insists on enacting the “anti-separation law,” it will not only seriously sabotage cross-strait relations and regional peace, but also entirely contradict Wen’s statement regarding the maintenance of peace across the Taiwan Strait and stable development in cross-strait relations.