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China Will Oppose Taiwan Separatist Activities

China Will Oppose Taiwan Separatist Activities
China Will Oppose Taiwan Separatist Activities

China will oppose Taiwan independence "separatist" activities and safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Saturday, following the victory of an independence-leaning party in the island's elections in January.

Speaking at the opening of the annual meeting of China's parliament, Li said China remained committed to its "major policies" on Taiwan, Reuters reported.

"We will ... oppose separatist activities for the independence of Taiwan, safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintain the peaceful growth of cross-strait relations and safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," he added.

China considers Taiwan a wayward province, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after the Chinese civil war, Reuters reported.

Beijing has repeatedly warned against any moves toward independence since January's landslide win by Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections.

Tsai has said she would maintain peace with China, and Chinese state-run media have also noted her pledges to maintain the "status quo" with China.

The past eight years have been marked by calm between China and Taiwan, after the election of the China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou as president in 2008 and his subsequent re-election. Ma signed a series of key economic deals with Beijing and held a landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November in neutral Singapore. But a controversial trade pact has languished in the island's parliament after protests in 2014 over trade dealings with Beijing.

Last month, Hong Kong police arrested more than 60 people during riots at the start of the Lunar New Year blamed by Beijing on "radical separatists".

Financialtribune.com