China has made a new offer of talks to its arch rival, Taiwan, dropping its insistence that Taiwan must first abandon its claim to independence.

Reuters news agency reported from Beijing that the offer had been made by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Shen Guofang, at a news conference.

"We hope the two sides can start formal political talks as soon as possible," Mr Shen told journalists.

"We believe there are no preconditions for these talks", he added.

The two sides have previously held informal meetings on technical and economic issues.

However, talks broke off in 1995.

China has always insisted that Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province, must first accept the principle known as "one China" - under which the communist People's Republic says that it represents the only legitimate government of a China which includes Taiwan.

In his comments, Shen Guofang said "one China" was not a precondition because it is a fact recognised by both sides.

"Both China and Taiwan must recognise that there is one China", he said.

Taiwan rejected the call for talks, saying the remarks did not represent a new phase in the troubled relationship between the two sides.

The Taiwanese president, Li Teng-hui, said that the principle of "one China" was, by definition, a condition set by Beijing.

Mr Li also said Taiwan's position on possible unification with China remained unchanged: it did not need to declare independence because it was already a sovereign country.

The government on the island republic of Taiwan was set up after 1949 when the Communists drove Nationalist forces into exile.

The BBC Beijing correspondent says China is clearly stepping up its campaign to persuade Taiwan to return to the negotiating table.

However, she says the differences between the two sides remain immense, with China wanting political talks and Taiwan wanting to limit discussions to economic and political matters.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©