Taiwanese authorities called Saturday on opposition parties to work with the government and fight China over the content of a new draft law that forbids the island from officially seceding from the mainland. Vice President Annette Lu said in view of China's new tactics, "The government and the opposition must unite and cooperate", adding, "There is only one Taiwan, and we should work together to love this land." Her comments came after China's state news agency Xinhua reported Friday that the Chinese authorities are considering sending a draft anti-secession law to the People's Congress for review during its December 25-29 meeting. The report did not mention Taiwan by name, but said the draft aimed to promote the unification of China. Taiwan and China separated at the end of a civil war in 1949 and Beijing, has repeatedly warned the island against declaring formal independence, saying it would lead to war. Lu said Taiwan has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist government. "From the history point of view, Taiwan has never been a part of the People's Republic of China in the past, present and future. So regardless of how it institutes the so-called anti-secession law, it would not change this fact," she said. Lu said Taiwan should launch a more serious legal battle and an "international publicity war to let the world know our situation". Lee Chun-yi, the whip of the ruling, pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said the government should settle differences with the opposition and revise the referendum law. "The revision of the referendum law can ensure that people here have the option to choose whether to unify with China or go formal independence," he said. Meanwhile, the United States has called on Taipei and Beijing to engage in dialogue.
