The Chinese mainland will never tolerate "Taiwan independence" activities aimed at dividing China and there is no room for maneuvering on this issue of principle, a Xinhua commentary said.

The commentary says the statement the central authorities made public early Monday gives Taiwan's leaders two choices while expressing the mainland's determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and offered a package of proposals for improved cross-Straits relations under the one-China principle.

The principle refers to the fact that there is only one China in the world and both the mainland and Taiwan belong to the one and the same China.

The cross-Straits relations have been pushed to the brink of danger due to the rampant "Taiwan independence" activities aimed at dividing China, according to the commentary.

The statement, which was issued by the Office for Taiwan Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, fully displays the common will and firm determination of 1.3 billion Chinese to safeguard national unification and opposition to dividing China, it says.

History gave Chen Shui-bian opportunity if he had the sincerity to improve cross-Straits relations, but what he has done in the past four years runs counter to the aspiration of compatriots on both sides of the Straits, it says.

Chen has stubbornly clung to the stance of "Taiwan independence "in the past four years, and broken his so-called "five no's" promises, refused to accept the one-China principle and the 1992 consensus to betray himself by dishing out a separatist proposition of "one country on each side."

The promises refer to the pledges of "no declaration of Taiwan independence, no incorporation of the 'two states' remarks into its constitution, no change of the so-called country's name and no referendum on Taiwan independence."

Chen put out a timetable of holding a referendum on writing a new "constitution" in 2006 and introducing a new "Taiwan constitution" in 2008, and making Taiwan a normal and complete "nation," which challenges the one-China principle, the Chinese Government and its people, and the international community.

"Chen Shui-bian has been reduced to a complete 'troublemaker' and 'crisis instigator' of Taiwan, both sides of the Taiwan Straits, and the international community."

The commentary says the one-China principle is a major issue of principle that has a bearing on the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and national sovereignty and territorial integrity, on which the position of the Chinese Government and its people remains unswerving and with no compromise.

"No forces or persons should expect any room for maneuvering on the issue of the one-China principle."

The commentary quotes the statement as saying that it does not matter who holds power in Taiwan in the next four years, as long as they recognize that there is only one China in the world and both the mainland and Taiwan belong to that one and the same China, abandon the "Taiwan independence" stance and stop separatist activities. Only then can cross-Straits relations hold out a bright prospect of peace, stability and development.

"That has demonstrated our sincerity and goodwill...... and conforms with the expectation of the international community."

But whether the bright prospect can be achieved or not is not up to the mainland only, says the commentary.

It says the mainland will do its utmost with maximum sincerity to strive for the prospect of the development of cross-Straits relations, while preparing for the worst to stand ready to crush all schemes for "Taiwan independence" activities aimed at dividing the country at any time.

In short, the commentary warns that Taiwan leaders have before them two roads: One is to pull back immediately from their dangerous lurch towards independence, recognizing that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to the one and the same China. The other is to keep following their separatist agenda to cut Taiwan from the rest of China and, in the end, meet their own destruction by playing with fire. The Taiwan leaders must choose between the two roads, it says.