BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhuanet) -- While the mainland has been earnestly pursuing peaceful reunification, the 1.3 billion Chinese people will never allow Chen Shui-bian to gamble on the mainland's tolerance and seek "Taiwan independence," a signed article says Wednesday.

    There's a limit to the tolerance of the mainland and peace can not be realized without sticking to principles. The 1.3 billion Chinese people will never allow Chen Shui-bian to seek "Taiwan independence" by means of "referendum," says the article written by Yi Zhi.

    In spite of continuous provocation of "Taiwan independence" elements, the mainland has maintained the utmost sincerity, goodwill, love and patience, and proposed many times to hold cross-Straits consultations under the one-China principle.

    However, says the article, "Taiwan independence" elements led by Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian saw the mainland's "peaceful reunification" policies as opportunities to push forward "Taiwan independence" and constantly challenged the one-China principle in an attempt to break the status quo that "both the mainland and Taiwan belong to the one and same China."

    Over the last four years, Chen Shui-bian has been seeking "Taiwan independence" under the name of democracy and human rights,and deliberately planning and pushing for making the so-called new"constitution." All this has "seriously undermined the foundation of peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits," the article says.

    Since the March 20 election of Taiwan leaders was over, Chen Shui-bian has repeatedly professed he will recklessly promote and implement his timetable for "Taiwan independence," including a "referendum" on writing a new "constitution" in 2006 and "putting the constitution into effect in 2008 to make Taiwan a normal and complete country."

    The 23 million people in Taiwan are being pushed to the brink of danger by "Taiwan independence" elements, the article says.

    Facts have proven that Chen Shui-bian is an out-and-out "diehard Taiwan independence element," a "dangerous politician" who risks the people's safety for personal gains, and the "biggest bane" of stability across the Straits and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, it says.

    The ultimate aim of Chen Shui-bian is to undermine the one-China framework in Taiwan's existing documents and political system, sever relations between Taiwan and the mainland and attain"Taiwan independence," it adds.

    The Taiwan issue is left by China's civil war. The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949 when the Kuomintang regime fled to Taiwan. The civil war status has remained since then. If "Taiwan independence" elements dared to sabotage national sovereignty and territorial integrity for their attempt to attain "Taiwan independence," all conditions for maintaining peace acrossthe Straits would be gone, says the article.

    If things did develop like this, "Taiwan independence" elementsthat first provoked the war would become the chief culprits responsible for ruining Taiwan's stability and prosperity, and unforgivable sinners of the Chinese nation forever, it says. Enditem