More than 200 personalities and scholars from China and overseas declared in Hong Kong at the weekend that reunification of the motherland according to the "one country, two systems" model is the best way forward for the people of Taiwan Province.

Their declaration came at Saturday's conclusion of a forum hosted by the Hong Kong Region China Peaceful Reunification Association.

The declaration called on all Chinese people to stick to the principle of one China and oppose any separatist activities, insisting that the successful implementation of the principle of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong and Macao served the best model for Taiwan's peaceful reunification with the motherland.

Taiwan is a sacred and inseparable part of the Chinese territory. To bring about the complete reunification of China is the common aspiration of all Chinese people, both in the country and overseas, declared the meeting.

People attending the forum urged the Taiwan authority to stop its splitting activities and accept the policy of "one country, two systems."

"We firmly adhere to the basic principle of 'peaceful reunification of the motherland and one country, two systems' and the eight-point proposal for developing the relations across the Taiwan Straits," Zhang Kehui, president of China Peaceful Reunification Association, told the forum.

Many representatives said that due to its special geographic location, Hong Kong should give full play to its advantages, by linking pro-reunification forces around the world, including on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and in Hong Kong, and working harder to ensure Taiwan's return to the motherland.

The declaration also restated that the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China and no foreign power has the right to intervene. The Chinese people are completely capable of handling this question.

Zhang Youhong, president of the Hong Kong Region China Peaceful Reunification Association, said at the closing of the meeting that, although the great course of reunification is full of difficulties, the outlook is bright.

(China Daily August 9, 2004)