Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Monday that the Anti-Secession law has been made to strengthen and advance ties across the Taiwan Straits, instead of being a war mobilization order.
The Anti-Secession Law aims to strengthen and advance relations across the Taiwan Straits and aims at maintaining peace, Wen told Chinese and foreign journalists who covered the just-concluded annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
It does not target the Taiwan compatriots, nor is it a law of war against Taiwan, he said, adding that the law states clearly it aims to promote exchanges between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, encourage and facilitate economic cooperation, the three "direct links", as well as exchanges in various fields including education, science and technology and culture.
The Anti-Secession Law stipulates that the rights and interests of Taiwan businesspeople on the mainland shall be protected, said Wen.
"The law aims at checking and opposing 'Taiwan Independence' secessionist forces," he said. "Only when the 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces are checked and opposed, can we maintain peace in the cross-Straits region."
Peace and stability in the cross-Straits region, he said, will facilitate businesspeople from Taiwan and abroad to invest in the mainland.
"The important speech delivered recently by Chinese President Hu Jintao on the Taiwan question has stated clearly that we will protect the legitimate rights and interests of Taiwan businesspeople on the mainland," said the Premier. "We will do whatever benefits the Taiwan people."
He said China will develop into a regular practice as early as possible the cross-Straits direct passenger charter flights that are conducted on festivals and holidays and will take measures to boost sales of farm produce from Taiwan, particularly from southern Taiwan, to the mainland.
On the other hand, the premier said China will seek to resume and solve the export of labor forces for fishermen from the mainland to work in Taiwan.
"We're also ready to take a series of preferential policies and convenient measures," he told more than 700 journalists from home and abroad.
(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2005)
