Wen: Chen a risk to Taiwan peace
China: Wen visit a 'complete success'
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Wen: China opposes efforts by Taiwan's leaders to "cut off Taiwan from the sacred territory of the Chinese motherland."
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Excerpt from CNN's exclusive interview with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- China's Premier Wen Jiabao has accused Taiwan's president of using democracy to disguise a push for independence, which threatens to undermine the peaceful status quo between Taipei and Beijing.
In an exclusive interview on "Lou Dobbs Tonight", Wen took aim at Taiwan President Chen Shui-ban's plans to hold a "defensive referendum" next March calling for China to withdraw its missile threat towards the island.
"We respect the desire of the Taiwan people to develop and pursue democracy," Wen said in the interview aired on Friday.
"However we firmly oppose the attempts by certain separatist forces in Taiwan to pursue Taiwan independence under the disguise of promoting democracy in an attempt to cut off Taiwan from the mainland."
"The purpose of the so-called defensive referendum that Chen Shui-bian has been going after is to undermine the status quo ... In fact, the democracy is just a disguise, an excuse. And so his efforts look to be quite deceptive."
China has pronounced Wen's four-day visit to the United States -- which wrapped up Wednesday -- as a complete success and expressed "appreciation" to U.S. President George W. Bush who delivered a stinging rebuke to Chen over his pro-independence moves following a meeting with the Chinese premier.
But Chen has stood firm, announcing he would not be swayed from his plans to hold the "anti-missile, anti-war" vote.
"When Bush made the above said comments, he also at the same time told the premier that he opposes any use of force against Taiwan," Chen told CNN Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy in an interview Thursday.
"On behalf of the 23 million people of Taiwan I want to emphasize again that we do not intend to change the status quo, and I think our stance and direction is in accordance with the Bush administration."
Chen also said Taiwan demanded that China immediately withdraw the missiles targeting the island and renounce the use of force against it.
"This message is very clear and it certainly has no bearings on the unification or independence issues and I think the U.S. government understands this. And it's very clear that what they are concerned about, what they worry about, would not happen."
Chen said the U.S. should respect the people of Taiwan in their pursuit of democracy and their right to hold referendums. "It should not see these gestures as provocative," he said.
Though Taiwan argues a missile referendum does not violate Chen's pledge not to press for independence during his term as leader, the plans have infuriated Beijing which fears the ballot would pave the way for an eventual vote on independence.
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must eventually reunify with the mainland, by force if necessary.
To that effect, Wen said Beijing position on Taiwan had remained constant and would continue to pursue "peaceful reunification" under its 'One country, Two systems' policy.
"We also made it very clear that as long as the slightest hope for peace exists, we will exert our utmost to strive for the peaceful reunification of the motherland."
Wen said the Taiwanese people were "our blood brothers and sisters."
Mounting tensions across the Taiwan Strait has put Washington in a quandary, as it finds itself caught between murmurs of independence for Taiwan, and Beijing's "One-China" policy.
Stuck between a commitment to defend Taiwan and the desire to increase economic and diplomatic relations with China, the Bush administration had been sending strong signals for Chen to moderate his views.
On other issues, Wen said China was committed to increasing imports of U.S. products to level the trade balance between the two nations.
"We have demonstrated our utmost sincerity, and we are very much ready to increase our imports from your country," Wen told Dobbs. (Wen promises more imports)
Wen's visit to the United States is the first by a Chinese leader since a sweeping leadership transition was finalized in March.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao hailed Wen's visit as a "complete success, and it will certainly become an important and positive influence in the continued development of the Sino-U.S. constructive cooperation partnership."
Wen arrived in Canada on Thursday and was scheduled to meet retiring Prime Minister Jean Chretien on his last full working day before meeting Chretien's successor, Paul Martin, later in the day. Martin replaces Chretien on Friday.
