China cranked up the pressure on Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian demanding he “stop playing with fire” by pushing for independence and warning the peace and stability of the region were at stake. “Taipei’s radical push towards independence has put cross-Straits relations in the crucible,” Wang Zaixi, vice minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, was quoted as saying in the China Daily’s lead page one story. “Peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits will be determined by what happens in the next three months,” he said, warning Chen to “stop playing with fire”. Chen has signed a controversial bill which allows referendums to take place and plans to hold the island’s first ever referendum alongside presidential polls on March 20, demanding Beijing remove hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting the island. Full Story