The actual intention of some Taiwan separatists who released a proposed draft of "second republic constitution" was to seek "de jure Taiwan independence", said a Chinese mainland scholar on Sunday.

"Their intention is to deny the fact that both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China," said Xu Shiquan, deputy director of the National Research Institute of Taiwan.

In an interview with Xinhua on Sunday, Xu said separatists of "Taiwan independence" obviously felt guilty when they took the separatist step, because they released the draft in the name of "the Republic of China."

"Their proposition in the draft equals to 'one country on each side'," Xu said, noting that the separatists could hardly disguise their true intention of "de jure Taiwan independence".

Taiwan University Professor Chen Ming-tong and other scholars made public the proposed draft of the "second republic constitution" on March 18. The draft proposed to change some terms of the current "constitution" in Taiwan.

In addition, it advocated determining cross-Straits political relations through a "referendum". It also explicitly called the "second republic constitution" a "Constitution of Taiwan".

Xu revealed that Chen Ming-tong and other scholars who made the proposed draft had been supported by Chen Shui-bian, the current leader of the Taiwan.

Chen Shui-bian was the real wire-puller whose objective was to divert the attention of Taiwan people from his scandal and inefficiency in governing, Xu told Xinhua.

On the other hand, Xu said, Chen Shui-bian intended to suppress different opinions within his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) with the intention of amending the "constitution" and "Taiwan Independence" when the DPP was faced with power transition in the upcoming "elections" in Taiwan.

Another mainland scholar Xu Bodong told Xinhua that the draft was to entirely abolish the current "constitution" in Taiwan.

"If the DPP adopted and submitted it to the "Legislative Yuan" for deliberation, it could be regarded as an overt provocation of 'de jure Taiwan independence'," said Xu Bodong, director of the Taiwan Research Institute of Beijing Union University.

The scholar also believed that Chen Shui-bian was the manipulator hidden behind. "The draft could not have been the opinion of only several scholars," he said. "The draft is a new action to attempt 'de jure Taiwan independence' by the DPP authority."

Xu Bodong said that the DPP and Chen Shui-bian want not only to buy "votes" but also promote "de jure Taiwan independence" with substantial actions.

Xu Shiquan also said the "second republic constitution" was another risk that the Taiwan separatists had taken and the mainland would not tolerate their scheme's success and make preparations for the worst situation.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2007)