Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Sunday delivered a call for closer economic and cultural ties with mainland China, but reiterated his opposition to reunification on Beijing's terms.
In his first New Year Message since coming to power in May, Chen urged China to give up its threats of military action against the island.
"I always thought people on the two sides were the same family and shared the same goal of seeking co-existence and prosperity," Chen said in a televised address.
"We therefore must not ever thinking of harming or destroying each other," he said.
Chen urged Chinese leaders "to openly renounce the use of force (against Taiwan) and instead use their wisdom and far-sightedness in solving the present stalemate and disputes."
Beijing has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence -- a move that Chen has advocated in the past as a leader of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
China regards Taiwan as an integral part of its territory and has repeatedly urged the island's leaders to begin talks on reunification.
Responding to this long-standing demand, Chen suggested "the two sides begin from economic and cultural integration, through which mutual trust could be gradually built and hopefully a new framework would be laid out for eternal peace and political integration."
He reiterated that China's cherished principle of "one China" cold be realized in the long term, but only if Taiwan's concerns were taken on board.
"If the free will of 23 million Taiwanese could not be respected, the gap of understanding between the two sides would never be narrowed," he said.
Chen's conciliatory statement came a day ahead of the opening of landmark transport and commercial links between Taiwan's two outlying islands, Kinmen and Matsu and China's Fujian province.
The links will be the first of their kind to be approved between China and Taiwan and there are hopes the highly symbolic initiative could lead to an easing of tensions between the two rivals.
Although huge amounts of business are done between Taiwan and China, political tensions mean they are currently largely conducted through Hong Kong and Macau.
Taipei has said that, if the one-year trial mini links go well, comprehensive direct links would eventually be launched. But the government has not set a timetable -- TAIPEI (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
