Mainland-based Taiwan investors have expressed understanding of Beijing's criticism of pro-independence business people.

Most of them believe their investment on the mainland will be left unaffected by the incident.

Chang Han-wen, president of the Dongguan Taiwan Businessmen Association, says Hsu Wen-lung is just one exceptional example.

"It is not safe to say there are no pro-independence people among mainland-based Taiwan investors, but they are very few," says Chang.

He was one of the first Taiwan investors who invested in Dongguan of South China's Guangdong Province, where there are now more than 6,000 Taiwan-funded enterprises.

Like Chang, most mainland-based Taiwan investors say Beijing has done nothing wrong to criticize or even punish those who have made money on the mainland and then go back to support Taiwan independence on the island.

"The mainland has every right to do so because no government in the world will first give you the chance to make profits and then allow you to hurt its interests," says a Beijing-based Taiwan businessman who declined to be named.

"Since the Taiwan investors have come to do business here, they should concentrate on their business and not involve themselves in politics."

In fact, most mainland-based Taiwan business people remain politically neutral and distance themselves from politics, according to Chang.

That, however, does not mean these investors do not have their own political views, he adds.

Chang says he strongly believes that up to 80 per cent of mainland-based Taiwan investors support the so-called pan-blue camp, which consists of the opposition Kuomintang Party (KMT), People First Party and the New Party.

The pan-blue camp backs keeping Taiwan's status quo and focusing on resurrecting the island's flagging economy for the benefit of the Taiwan people.

In contrast, the pan-green camp, formed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union, have joined efforts to pursue a separatist agenda, fueling tension in cross-Straits relations.

"It has been a consensus among most mainland-based Taiwan investors that only across-Straits peace and stability can ensure a stable development of their businesses," Chang says.

"That's why we hope for a peaceful cross-Straits relationship and an early realization of direct three links between both sides of the Straits."

Going against the hope of almost all mainland-based Taiwan investors, the Taiwan authorities led by Chen Shui-bian have been pushing hard for splittism to endanger bilateral ties.

Meanwhile, Taipei has done little to lift its decades-old ban on the much-needed establishment of the three direct links - trade, transportation and postal services - across the Straits.

The great disappointment propelled hundreds of thousands of Taiwan investors to fly home from the mainland to vote in the "presidential" elections in March.

Some 180,000 mainland-based business people returned to cast their ballots and the bulk were believed to have voted against Chen.

The move contrasted with their little enthusiasm in the island's previous "presidential" elections. They used to believe that the polls had nothing to do with their mainland business.

"Mainland-based Taiwan investors had long been contemplating changing their indifferent attitude because they did not want to see the bad cross-Straits situation continue," says Chang.

(China Daily 06/22/2004 page5)