Article published to mark 1947 patriotic uprising in Taiwan(02/22/04)

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Two Taiwan-related organizations jointly published an article Sunday to commemorate Taiwan people's patriotic uprising that took place on Feb. 28, 1947, calling for unity across the Straits and the opposition of the separatist remarks distorting the movement.

The Democratic Self-government League and the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots said in the article titled "Compatriots Across the Straits Join Hands Together to Work for a Bright Future" that the Feb. 28 uprising was a patriotic feat.

The Taiwan people courageously fought against the autocratic Kuomingtang government in order to seek democracy, while the wholeof China was encouraged by the victory in the war against Japaneseaggression, the article says.

The uprising was also an important part of a nationwide patriotic and democratic movement against the ruling Kuomingtang regime. The Communist Party showed deep interest in the movement and its underground organization even participated in the uprising,it says.

Historic facts show that the people across the Taiwan Straits have an identical pursuit that is to fight oppression and autocracy and struggle for democracy, and they also support each other in fighting the autocratic rule and building their homeland,says the article.

However, the current Taiwan authorities and separatist forces, in order to attain their political goal, distorted the uprising as"an independent movement of the Taiwan people to fight the regime from outside," or even as "a start of Taiwan independence," which completely ignores history.

The article quotes an open letter of organizers of the uprisingto people of the whole country as saying that the aim of the movement is to "mop up corrupt officials and boost political reform in the province (of Taiwan). We do not reject compatriots from other provinces, but rather, we welcome them to participate in the political work of this province."

Today, says the article, the separatist forces use the historicevent as a tool for their splittist activities, regardless of the Taiwan people's sincere hope for peace, stability and development.Their attempt to create conflicts among ethnic groups on the Taiwan island and between the two sides of the Straits is a reversal of democracy in Taiwan and a blasphemy against and humiliation of the martyrs of the movement.

Thousands of Taiwan people were killed in the uprising.

To commemorate the 57th anniversary of the Feb. 28 uprising with Taiwanese compatriots is to "restore the historical truth," says the article, which calls on the Taiwan society to cherish itshard-won achievements in promoting democracy and maintain ethnic harmony, social stability and economic prosperity on the island.

It also calls for cooperation between the two sides of the Straits to jointly maintain peace and stability across the Straitsand make concerted efforts to realize the reunification and revitalization of the Chinese nation.

The Taiwan Democratic Self-government League was founded by several Taiwan patriots in Hong Kong in December 1947 after the uprising failed.

    BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- The remarks of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping on the "one country, two systems" principle remain the guidelines for understanding and handling the Hong Kong issue well, according to some Chinese experts.
    The development of political situation in Hong Kong has demonstrated the foresight of Deng Xiaoping in many aspects, said Zhou Nan, former director of Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch from 1990 to 1997.
    Deng's remarks on the "one country, two systems" principle are of far-reaching significance in observing and handling the mattersrelated to Hong Kong, and the remarks are the fundamental guarantee for Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity, Zhousaid.
    Zhou had participated in the Sino-British negotiations on the Hong Kong question and witnessed the entire process of Hong Kong'sreturning to the motherland. He noted that some people in Hong Kong have superficial understanding of Deng's remarks and it is critical to restudy Deng's theory and actually materialize the "one country, two systems" principle.
    Xu Chongde, professor of the People's University of China and former member of the Committee for Drafting Basic Law of Hong KongSpecial Administrative Region (SAR), pointed out that "one country,two systems" principle refers to the fact that two political systems must fall into only one country, i.e. the People's Republic of China. In accordance with the Hong Kong Basic Law, Hong Kong is an administrative region under the direct jurisdiction of the central government.
    The concept of Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong, which was also put forth by Deng Xiaoping, means that Hong Kong should be governed mainly by patriotic people, the professor said. The compatriots in Hong Kong should keep a sober mind in this regard.
    Zhang Tongxin, director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Research Center under the People's University of China, said that some people in Hong Kong stress only "two systems" without mentioning "one country" to split the intrinsic relationship between the two parts. They are violating the principle's intact meaning as well as Hong Kong Basic Law.
    Zhang added that the political development in Hong Kong must follow the practical conditions of Hong Kong with reliance on the Hong Kong Basic Law. Only in this way will Hong Kong's political development not stray from the right path.

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