Mainland experts on Taiwan studies on Friday denounced Taiwanese leader Chen Shui-bian for clinging to his separatist stance and stealthily promoting independence for the island.

They said the "ideologically minded and selfish'' leader is betting on tense cross-Straits relations to serve his re-election bid at the cost of the fundamental interests of Taiwanese people.

The criticism was in response to Chen's fresh call for a new "constitution'' -- a move widely believed to pave the way for formal independence.

In a televized speech to mark the island's "Double Tenth'' day or "national'' day, Chen said on Friday he has an obligation to hasten the birth of a new "constitution.''

The State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, the mainland's top body in charge of cross-Straits ties, did not comment on Chen's remarks on Friday.

But the office issued a statement on Wednesday in which it described Chen's previous moves towards rewriting the island's "constitution'' as "extremely immoral and very dangerous.''

Wu Nengyuan, director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies under the Fujian Provincial Academy of Social Sciences in East China, said Chen's proposal has very much exposed his desperate attempt to seek re-election as "president'' in March under the disguise of pushing for democracy for the island.

"Realizing he is losing support from moderate voters, Chen has not even bothered to hide his deep-rooted pro-independence mentality in a bid to woo diehard separatist voters,'' the researcher said.

"Now he is bent on creating tension across the Straits through provoking the mainland.''

However, Wu stressed that Chen's voting ploy will bring "confrontation and disaster'' rather than "co-operation and peace'' to the 23 million people on the island.

During his "national'' day address, Chen said the "door to peace'' with the mainland can only open when Beijing drops the one-China principle whereby both the mainland and Taiwan are part of China.

The leader also attacked the island's pro-reunification opposition parties with a view to making the March 2004 polls a vote on the independence proposal touted by his Democratic Progressive Party.

Professor Fan Xizhou, a researcher with the Taiwan Research Institute in East China's Xiamen University, said it seems that Chen has no intention of offering any goodwill gesture or acting in good faith to improve cross-Straits ties.

"If he is preoccupied with his self-interest to undermine cross-Straits relations, Chen will never open the door to peace and co-operation,'' the professor said.

"In fact, Chen's conspiracy to split the motherland will lead to the permanent closure of that door.''

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