A spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office on Tuesday accused Chen Shuibian, leader of the Taiwan authority, of recently accelerating attempts to split Taiwan from China.

The spokesman said the mainland is watching the Taiwan situation and is "on high alert for splittist attempts of Chen Shuibian."

Chen has said that he will find a solution to Taiwan's position in the coming four years. To this end, he caused a stir by talking about finding a “shortened name for the country” and attempted to register Taiwan as a United Nations member state.

The spokesman also accused Chen of trying to make use of the ongoing Athens Paralympics to provoke the mainland and heighten cross-Straits tensions.

Chen lied in his May 20 speech when he said that his constitutional change would not involve reunification or independence, said the spokesman.

The spokesman quoted a communiqué from the just-concluded 4th Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Solving the Taiwan issue and realizing complete reunification of the country is a sacred task for the Party.

According to the document, the Party will adhere to the basic principles of peaceful reunification and one country, two systems, as well as the eight-point proposal on developing relations across the Taiwan Straits and promoting peaceful reunification.

However, the mainland will resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" and protect the unity of the country.

On September 15, Zhang Mingqing, spokesman of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, issued a strongly worded warning to Chen Shuibian.

"We'll keep watch on Chen Shuibian's new moves. If he has broken the bottom line, we will pay any cost to safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Zhang.

(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2004)