Taiwan is not part of China

Taiwan is an independent country! All people in Taiwan are not afraid of China's threat.

Taiwanese rally against China's annexation threat

March 18, 2006

By DPA

Taipei, March 18 (DPA) Some 100,000 Taiwanese marched through Taipei Saturday to protest against China's threat to retake Taiwan by force if Taipei seeks independence.

The protest, called by President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), marks the first anniversary of the passing of China's 'anti-secession law' which allows China to attack if Taipei declares formal independence.Holding flags and placards, the protesters shouted 'Safeguard Taiwan's democracy!' 'Oppose China's aggression!' and 'Taiwan is not part of China!'

Some protesters held plastic models of missiles to remind the world that China has 784 missiles pointed at Taiwan.President Chen, addressing the rally at the end of the march, called on the people to unite in the fight to safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty.

'Taiwan is not part of China, and we do not allow our sovereignty to be shared with anyone,' Chen stated.

Chen said the master of Taiwan's fate is not China, but the 23 million people of Taiwan. He vowed to hold a referendum to decide Taiwan's future, even at the cost of losing his position as president.

China sees self-governing Taiwan, seat of the exiled Republic of China government since 1949, as a breakaway province, but Taiwan claims it is a sovereign nation, currently recognised by 25 countries.

Chen plans to hold a referendum on revising the Taiwan constitution, which currently states that Taiwan's official title is the Republic of China and that both Taiwan and mainland China belong to one China.

China is worried that Chen might seek to achieve Taiwan's formal independence by revising the constitution through a name change or by redefining Taiwan's territory.

Beijing recently warned that if Chen amends the constitution, it would view it as 'seeking independence through legal procedures' and would not sit idly by.