The Chinese central government lashed out at Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian Monday, as a senior Chinese official on Taiwan affairs told Reuters news agency that Chen's gestures with regard to cross-Straits relations are "insincere."

"He keeps double-dealing to disguise his 'Taiwan independence' activities, deceive international public opinion and win votes. We have already seen through his tricks," said Wang Zaixi, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council in an interview with Reuters. "I am confident the international community we'll also see clearly his hypocrisy and true intention to promote 'Taiwan independence' gradually."

During the interview, Wang talked about Chen Shui-bian's recent "suggestions" of easing tensions across the Taiwan Straits, restarting cross-Straits negotiations and his remarks on creating a new constitution.

The "Taiwan independence" activities of Taiwan authorities led by Chen Shui-bian have escalated continuously, and his splittist remarks have become more and more blatant, Wang said.

"I think on the surface Chen Shui-bian's remarks on relations across the Taiwan Straits have a certain kindness, but in reality they protect his Taiwan independence separatist stance," Wang said.

"He feigns hoping for easing tension and realizing stability across the Taiwan Straits, yet his true intention is to promote 'Taiwan independence'," Wang said.

Wang said when Chen Shui-bian talks about restarting talks on the basis of the "1992 Consensus," he avoided the one-China principle of the consensus.

"Without the one-China principle, what's the basis for negotiations? He is just putting up a show," Wang said.

He said the fundamental obstacle to restarting cross-Straits talks is Chen Shui-bian's denial of the one-China principle in the"1992 Consensus" and his escalating "Taiwan independence" splittist activities.

"If Chen Shui-bian explicitly acknowledges the fact of the one-China principle and abandons the 'one country on each side' and 'Taiwan independence' standpoints, cross-Straits talks could be resumed at once," Wang said.

Wang said Chen Shui-bian's recent advocacy of creating a new constitution in 2006 that "suits the times, the body and needs," clearly contravenes his promise of "amending the constitution but not making a new constitution" and "the amendments won't touch such issues as reunification with China's mainland or Taiwan independence and sovereignty.

"Making a constitution in 2006 and establishing a 'new and normal country' in 2008 is entirely a timetable for pushing forward 'Taiwan independence,'" Wang said.

He said the next several years would be a crucial, high-risk period in the development of what he referred to as "the Taiwan situation" and a period when cross-Straits relations would experience a severe test.

He said the Chinese government keeps high vigilance against "Taiwan independence" separatist moves advanced by Chen Shui-bian and won't tolerate splitting Taiwan from China by anybody and through any means.

"The Chinese government has repeatedly said it will exert the utmost effort and the utmost sincerity to achieve peaceful reunification," said Wang. "The main concern is the interests of the Taiwan compatriots."

"But Chen Shui-bian authorities are exploiting our restraint on the Taiwan issue," he said. "They are attempting to exploit the fact that the mainland compatriots are focusing energy on developing the economy and exploit our preparations for the 2008 Olympics," said Wang.

"They are trying to bind Taiwan compatriots to their 'Taiwan independence' separatist chariots, making Taiwan compatriots their stake and hostages. That's very immoral, irresponsible and an extremely dangerous act of playing with fire," he said.

He said the Chinese government and people will never allow anybody to separate Taiwan from China in any means and will safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity at any cost.

The "1992 consensus" refers to an informal verbal agreement reached between the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation in November 1992.

Under the informal agreement, the two sides of the Straits adhere to the one-China principle.

Chen, however, has denied the existence of the consensus in a bid to shun the one-China principle since he took office in May 2000.

Bilateral talks can be resumed immediately "if Chen would clearly acknowledge the precondition as well as the facts, while discarding his separatist framework to promote 'one country on each side' of the Straits," Wang said.

Despite his conciliatory remarks, Chen has stepped up his pro-independence push to alienate the island even more from China.

On Sunday, he pledged to seek UN membership using the name "Taiwan" if his party wins a majority in the upcoming December 11 "legislative" elections.

Chen told a campaign rally that it was a mistake for the government to use the name "republic of China" in applying for a seat in the United Nations.

"Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country and we should use the name 'Taiwan' to apply to join the UN," local media reports quoted him as saying.

Taipei's UN bid has failed for 12 years as most countries in the world commit themselves to the one-China policy that Taiwan is part of China.

The "republic of China" was kicked out of the United Nations in 1971, when the General Assembly adopted resolution 2758, which declared the People's Republic of China "as the only legitimate representatives of China."

Supporters of Taiwan independence -- a core voting bloc of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party and its ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union -- have suggested Taiwan drop the name "republic of China" to reflect its evolution into a new country.

Meanwhile, Taiwan also plans to re-write its high school curriculum to separate the history of the island from that of China, as part of a drive to foster a stronger Taiwan identity.

Under new guidelines to be implemented in the 2006 school year, the "ministry of education" ordered high schools to revise their textbooks to create a separate book for Taiwan history, which is now included under Chinese history.

Analysts said the proposed changes to the school curricula are aimed at severing cultural and historical links between the island and the Chinese mainland.