BEIJING — China has called on Taiwan's newly elected president to give a "full response" to Beijing's demands that he embrace the "one China" policy as a precondition for talks, Xinhua news agency said Thursday.
The "one China" formula considers Taiwan and the mainland as parts of a united China, and has long been embraced both by the Communist-ruled mainland and Nationalist-ruled island.
But as Taiwan began transforming its authoritarian government a decade ago into a freewheeling democracy, it has distanced itself from the policy, insisting Beijing must democratize if the two sides are to reunify.
Last month, Taiwanese voters elected pro-independence opposition leader Chen Shui-bian as their president, ending five decades of Nationalist rule.
Chen has soft-pedaled the independence issue recently to avoid sparking a war with Beijing, which has vowed to attack the island if it moves to secede or postpones reunification talks indefinitely.
Chen has offered to hold talks with Chinese leaders, and said he is willing to discuss the "one China" policy. But so far he has refused to embrace the formula.
Beijing called on Chen Thursday to "take substantial steps" toward reunification, and to explain himself on the "one China" policy.
"We would like to get a complete response to the issue," Chinese Vice-premier Qian Qichen was quoted as saying in a speech to senior Communist Party officials.
"A complete response is very important, and other things are less important," Xinhua quoted Qian as saying.