The relationship between Taiwan and China is not one between two countries, but a type of special relationship across the Taiwan Strait, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has told a Mexican newspaper, in a marked departure from former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) special state-to-state model of relations.
“Basically, we don’t think the relationship between the two sides is one between two Chinas, but a special one,” Ma said in an interview with Sol de Mexico on Aug. 26, the Chinese text of which was released by the Presidential Office yesterday.
During the interview, the reporter asked questions in Spanish and Ma replied in Mandarin.
Ma said the Constitution of the Republic of China (ROC) does not allow the existence of another country on its territory, nor does the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“The relationship is a special one, but that relationship is not between two countries,” he was quoted as saying in the transcript. “While it is unlikely that double recognition of both sides of the Taiwan Strait can be obtained from any foreign country, we must maintain a peaceful and prosperous relationship with Beijing and at the same time we would like to see both sides enjoy dignity in the international community. This is our goal.”
Ma said that while both sides could not resolve the dispute of Taiwan’s sovereignty, Taipei and Beijing reached a consensus in 1992.
Under the so-called “1992 consensus,” Ma said each side accepted the principle of “one China” but agreed to have its own interpretation of what it meant.
While there were no immediate answers for the sovereignty issue, Ma said the government should not waste time and effort trying to resolve it. Instead, the government should focus its energy on more urgent issues that require both sides to attend to. Such issues were what his administration has been pushing, he said.
Ma said that while the ROC left China in 1949, it did not disappear from the surface of the Earth. He hoped both sides of the Strait would refrain from engaging in malicious competition on the diplomatic front.
As each side maintained relations with its own diplomatic allies, they could develop non-diplomatic relations with each other’s allies.
“Such peaceful coexistence is the most ideal way for interactions between the two sides,” he was quoted as saying in the transcript.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday that the cross-strait relationship was not one between two countries but a special one defined by the 11th amendment to the ROC Constitution.
The article describes Taiwan as the “free region” and China as the “mainland region.” Wang said the two regions are equal and have two ruling authorities whose relationship is not between the central and local governments but one that is equal between the “Taiwan region” and the “mainland region.”
Wang said that while Ma has redefined cross-strait relations and proposed to assert sovereignty and shelve disputes, Ma’s policy was not a concession or surrender. Although both sides have different claims over their territory and the disputes over sovereignty are difficult to resolve, Wang said the administration would protect the sovereignty of the ROC, insist on the “three nos” and continue to extend goodwill to Beijing.
The “three nos” refers to no discussion of unification with Beijing during Ma’s presidency, no pursuit of de jure Taiwan independence and no use of military force to resolve the Taiwan issue.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military