The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Wednesday accused Taiwan's Chen Shui-bian of jeopardizing the interests of Taiwan people by moving closer and closer to separatism.

Chen Shui-bian's attempt to promote separatism will bring disaster to Taiwan people, whose desire for peace, stability and development has been ignored, said Li Weiyi, the spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

Asked to comment on Chen's stopovers in the United States, Li said Chen Shui-bian aimed to split China and sabotage the improvement of Sino-US relations by his activities and to prepare the Democratic Progressive Party and himself for the coming election.

The Chinese people and overseas Chinese will no doubt oppose what he has done, he said.

Chen Shui-bian has made commitments not to hold the referendum on "Taiwan independence" and incorporate "two states" remarks into the constitution.

However, according to a draft bill on referendums advocated by the Democratic Progressive Party headed by Chen, a referendum can be held on any topic, Li said.

The Democratic Progressive Party and some "Taiwan independence" organizations organized a march for a new "constitution" through referendum on Oct. 25.

Chen himself also announced the statement of "one country on each side" in August last year and said there will be "one country on each side" in the election next year rather than the one-China policy, Li added.

"This fully shows his non-independence commitments in the past years are thoroughly false," he said.

Li said he had to point out that the reunification of the two sides across the Taiwan Straits is vital to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and the fundamental interests of Chinese, including Taiwan compatriots.

"Any separatist activities aimed at 'Taiwan independence' are doomed to failure, for they will never be tolerated by all Chinese people," Li concluded.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2003)