Top legislator Wu Bangguo yesterday promised the national legislature will do its best to fully reflect the common will of all Chinese people in its anti-secession law.

The lawmakers will follow the Constitution and the central authorities' policies on Taiwan, Wu stressed at the closing meeting of the 13th session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

It was also decided at the meeting that the draft anti-secession law be submitted for deliberations at the third full session of the 10th NPC slated for March next year.

The NPC is the highest legislature in China, and Wu is the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

Wu said it is one of three major historic tasks of the Chinese Government and the Communist Party of China to achieve the reunification of the motherland. "We have made unremitting efforts for developing relations across the Taiwan Straits and promoting the peaceful reunification of the motherland with our extreme sincerity for a long time," he said.

However, in recent years, the Taiwan authorities have accelerated their secessionist activities for "Taiwan independence," especially through so-called "constitutional reform." These secessionist activities have become the largest obstacle to the development of cross-Straits relations and peaceful reunification, and constitute the gravest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, he said.

It is "absolutely necessary" to formulate the anti-secession law to fight and curb the secessionists in Taiwan, promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland, maintain peace and stability across the Straits, safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and maintain the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, he said.

Over the last few years, people from all walks of life on the Chinese mainland and many overseas Chinese have repeatedly expressed an increasingly strong demand to fight the Taiwan secessionist forces and realize the peaceful reunification of China by legal means. Quite a few Chinese lawmakers and senior advisers have also brought bills, proposals and motions before the NPC.

"Now the conditions for making the law are ripe," said Wu.

China's Constitution stipulates that Taiwan is an indispensable part of China and realizing the reunification of the motherland is the sacred duty of all Chinese people, including the people in Taiwan.

"The anti-secession law was drafted after opinions and ideas were solicited from all circles," said Wu.

According to him, the draft law, based on the Constitution and the major policies on Taiwan such as "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems," is centred around the theme to fight and curb the secessionist activities of "Taiwan independence" forces and to promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland.

"It fully embodies our consistent stand to strive for peaceful reunification with our utmost sincerity and utmost effort," Wu said.

"It also demonstrates the common will and firm determination of all Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and not to allow 'Taiwan independent' forces to separate Taiwan from China in any name and in any form," he said.

Wu stressed that adhering to the one-China policy is the unshakable foundation for resolving the Taiwan question and the principles of "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems" are the fundamental guidelines.

To realize the reunification through peaceful means is the best way to maintain the fundamental interests of all Chinese people, including the compatriots in Taiwan. It will be conducive to promoting relations between people on both sides of the Straits, safeguarding peace and stability across the Straits and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, he said.

"We have always maintained that the reunification should be realized through peaceful means. The compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all Chinese and are brothers born of the same parents," said Wu. "There is no one in the world who is more willing than us to achieve reunification through peaceful means. As long as there is a gleam of hope, we will try our best to achieve peaceful reunification."

"It must be made clear that to maintain national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the core interests of our nation and the common obligation of all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots," he said.

(China Daily 12/30/2004 page1)