China, India will usher in ‘Asian century’: Wen: Taiwan warned over independence move
BEIJING, March 14: China and India will usher in a ‘new Asian century’, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday, as he expressed hopes the world’s two most populous countries would build on their improving relations.
“I have a belief, that is when China and India are truly strong enough to fully bring out their own spirit and style, then that will truly usher in a new Asian century,” Mr Wen told a press conference.
The prime minister played down concerns that China and India would become competitors when they became much stronger as they vied for foreign investment, energy and other scarce natural resources, as well as regional influence.
“I hope by then our two countries’ fraternal and friendly relations will still be vibrant... and remain dear to the hearts of the two Oriental nations,” Mr Wen said.
China-India relations have improved in recent years as both countries have made efforts to complement instead of compete with each other’s growth.
The two nations signed a landmark agreement in January to jointly secure energy security, rather than trying to out-bid each other to secure reserves.
However, the two countries still have not resolved a decades-old border dispute.
India accuses China of occupying 38,000 square kilometres of Indian territory in Kashmir while Beijing claims 90,000 square kilometres of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The dispute led to a brief war in 1962.
A formal ceasefire line was never established after the war, but the border has remained mostly peaceful.
The two sides ended three-day talks on the boundary dispute this week without resolving the issue, although they agreed to continue the dialogue at an unspecified date.
WARNING TO TAIWAN: Mr Wen said China was fully prepared ‘for all eventualities’ in its efforts to rein in Taiwan’s independence forces, although it insisted its own military build-up was purely for self-defense.
“We are now carefully following the developments and are fully prepared for all eventualities.”
Mr Wen severely criticised Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian’s recent moves to scrap an advisory body and guidelines aimed at eventual reunification with the mainland, insisting China would never allow the island to achieve independence.
“His moves are extremely adventurous, dangerous and deceptive,” Mr Wen said.
The council scrapped by Mr Chen was considered largely symbolic and had been dormant since he was elected president in 2000, but Mr Wen indicated the move had been interpreted by China as a renewed push by the island for independence.
“We need to stay alert against the fact that they are now intensifying their efforts to pursue their secessionist activities aimed at so-called Taiwan independence,” Mr Wen said.
“They are also going all-out to pursue their goal of so-called de jure Taiwan independence through the so-called constitutional re-engineering.”
Mr Chen has also pledged to draft a new Taiwan constitution, possibly before his second term ends in 2008.
China has threatened to retake Taiwan by force if it moves towards formal independence. Mr Wen did not repeat the threat of military action on Tuesday.
He said China would ‘never give up our efforts for peaceful Reunification’.
“At the same we will never waver in our opposition to the secessionist activities for so-called Taiwan independence,” he said.
“We will by no means allow Taiwan to be separated from the motherland.”
Taiwan says China has almost 800 missiles targeted at the island that could paralyse its communications and transport and command centers in a 10-hour bombardment.—AFP
