'Desinification' unacceptable - Lien Chan
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-04-29 13:04

Lien Chan, chairman of the Kuomintang party, said in Beijing Friday that the majority in Taiwan would not accept the policy of "desinification," which is aimed at severing ties between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

It's "a pity" that some political forces in Taiwan have been advocating such "an extreme idea", said Lien when answering a question at the end of his 40-minute speech at Peking University.

Visiting Taiwan opposition KMT Chairman Lien Chan delivers a speech at the Peking University in Beijing April 29, 2005. [Xinhua]

"I'm sure that the majority of Taiwan people will not take on their shoes," said Lien, who described the efforts for "desinification" as something out of the imagination of the people in other countries and the mainland.

These "desinification" efforts have aroused great concern among Taiwan people and even foreigners residing in Taiwan, he added.

According to him, parents of numerous school children are now looking for resources other than public schools in Taiwan to continue education in Chinese history and culture.

"The parents hope their children could learn more about the creams of the Chinese culture," Lien said.

In his speech at the unversity, Lien said it is the common aspiration of all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to seek reconciliation and dialog for the building of a win-win future.

"We should put the people first and give priority to the people's well-being. This is supported by all the Chinese people, including the 23 million residents in Taiwan and the 1.3 billion on the mainland."

"We're paving the way and building a bridge, and the people will be glad to see cross-Straits dialog, reconciliation and cooperation, rather than confrontation or conflict," Lien said.

Before Lien and his KMT delegation left Taiwan for the Chinese mainland, Lien said a poll conducted in Taiwan indicated 66 percent of the Taiwan people support cross-Straits reconciliation and dialogue, while about 30 percent say it is unlikely to produceany concrete result.

Lien told his audience it is a historic opportunity to sum up the past and build a common future for both sides of the Straits. "And this is very important," he said.

He said the Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits should work together for peace and stability by "actively" maintaining the status quo.

"Maintaining the status quo may be the best way to develop cross-Straits relations, but it should not be done in a passive manner," Lien said. 

By maintaining the status quo, both sides should seek more common grounds while reserving differences and create a win-win future for all the Chinese people across the Straits, he said.

He quoted a famous Western saying "peace by pieces," saying that every Chinese should contribute his "piece" of efforts to the promotion of peace across the Taiwan Straits, and every Chinese should be held accountable for the well-being of the rest of the Chinese on the globe.

Outdated Mentality

Lien urged some people in Taiwan to give up the old thinking and seek the well-being of people across the Taiwan Straits.

"Some people in Taiwan say my visit aims to seek the third KMT-CPC cooperation to 'contain Taiwan.'" "That's a very grave distortion," Lien said. "The mentality of these people are still in the state of the 1920s and 1930s."

"Why couldn't we pay more attention to the present and create a better future," said Lien.

"Why couldn't we proceed from goodwill, trust each other, take into consideration of the well-being of both sides and the long-term interests of the Chinese nation" in handling across-Strait affairs, said Lien.

Calling for giving priorities to the interests and well-being of the people, Lien said, "I believe that's a trend supported by both the 23 million people in Taiwan and the 1.3 billion people inthe mainland."

He said the steps of history could not be shifted by the subjective will of anyone.

"You can not push history. Success can only be made when you take concrete steps," said Lien while asked by a girl student to comment his current historic visit to the mainland after the KMT chairman's 40-minute speech to students and teachers of Beijing University.

Lien said he felt it a great honor to have stepped on "the historic bus" to embark on his "journey of peace" to the mainland at a critical turning point in history.

Sticking to peace and achieving a win-win future are a historical trend and the shared outcry of the people across the Taiwan Straits.

In his speech delivered at Beijing University, Lien said that the historical trend and common aspiration of the people encouraged him to shoulder the historical responsibility in achieving those goals.

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