Beijing: Chinese President Jiang Zemin offered Taiwan greater autonomy under the "one country, two systems" formula to achieve peaceful national reunification but warned against the island's attempt to gain independence.

Jiang, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) pointed out that "one country, two systems" is the best way for the reunification between the two sides.

After its reunification with the mainland, Taiwan may keep its existing social system unchanged and enjoy a high degree of autonomy, he said.

Using the "one country, two systems" formula, China successfully recovered the former British colony of Hong Kong in 1997 and the erstwhile Portuguese enclave of Macao in 2000.

China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force.

Taiwan has been self-ruled since 1949, when the nationalist Army led by Chiang Kai- shek fled to the island after being defeated by Mao Zedong's communist forces, which seized control of mainland China.

"On the basis of the one-China principle, let us shelve for now certain political disputes and resume the cross-straits dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible," Jiang said in an impassioned speech aimed at Taiwan's 23 million people at the 16th Congress of the CPC which commenced its weeklong session in China.

"We place our hopes on the people in Taiwan for the settlement of the Taiwan question and the realisation of the complete reunification of China," he said.

PTI