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Friday, July 30, 2004

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  Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has said he plans to introduce a new constitution for the island when his term ends in 2008. China and Taiwan split in 1949 amid civil war, but Beijing claims Taiwan is a part of its territory and has long said that formal independence would lead to war.

Chinese officials have said for months that Chen's plans fora constitution show he wants independence for the island and therefore endanger "peace and stability" across the Taiwan Strait. Chen has said any constitutional changes wouldn't touch on sovereignty.

"New tensions and even a serious crisis in the cross-Straits situation may arise, if Chen obstinately pursues his timetable," Wang said in an interview with China Daily.

"We cannot completely rule out the possibility [of a military conflict] though it is not at all what we hope for," the paper quoted Wang as saying. The paper, writing in English, inserted the parentheses itself.

Wang said there was "no way" political tensions could be eased unless Chen accepted that Taiwan was a part of China. "What we can do is just work hard to prevent bilateral relations from deteriorating."

In Taiwan, Chen criticized China's recent suggestions that it might adopt a law mandating that Taiwan reunify with the mainland.

"The Chinese communists want to undertake a legal battle to turn Taiwan into a special political district," Chen said during a visit to southern Taiwan on Thursday, United Daily News reported. "Can the 23 million Taiwanese not be wary about it?"

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