Special report: NPC & CPPCC Annual Sessions 2005

            ;    China enacts Anti-Secession Law

    BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhuanet) -- A spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Tuesday criticized the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of the Taiwan authorities for its distortion of the Anti-Secession Law.

    The spokesman said the MAC aimed to deceive Taiwan compatriots and international opinion by distorting the Anti-Secession Law as a move to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and provide "a blank check" for "annexation of Taiwan" by force in the MAC's statement issued on Monday.

    It is a dangerous move for the MAC to try to once again incite confrontation across the Taiwan Strait and create a pretext for "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces to provoke incidents, the spokesman said.

    The Anti-secession Law enacted by the National People's Congress aims to improve the cross-strait relations, promote peaceful reunification of the motherland, and oppose and check "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces' attempts to secede Taiwan from China, he said.

    It aims to maintain the peace and stability across the Strait, safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he added.

    The employment of non-peaceful means to prevent Taiwan's secession from the motherland, which is prescribed in the law as the last resort, targets "Taiwan independence" secessionists but never Taiwan compatriots, he said.

    "We reiterate that we will never stop our efforts to improve cross-Strait relations, never change our determination to strive for a peaceful reunification of the country, and never waver in our stance against 'Taiwan independence'," he said.

    The spokesman urged the Taiwan authorities to stop their secessionist attempts right away, return to the "1992 Consensus" on the one-China principle, and do things favorable to peaceful and steady development of cross-Strait relations.

    The cross-Strait tensions have somewhat eased recently through persistent efforts made by compatriots on both sides, and such a situation should be maintained and developed with joint efforts, he said.

    "We believe most Taiwan compatriots can have a rational, objective understanding of the purposes of the law, and appreciate our sincerity in safeguarding the peace and improving relations across the Taiwan Strait and defending the interests of compatriots on both sides of the strait," he said.

    The National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament, enacted the 10-article Anti-Secession Law by 2,896 pros, no con and 2 abstentions Monday morning as it concluded its annual full session. Enditem