On the fourth anniversary of the enactment of China's "Anti-Secession" Law, the Presidential Office yesterday urged Beijing to handle the piece of legislation "appropriately," saying it was "unnecessary" and "unfeasible."
"We think the mainland authorities should carefully consider the feelings of Taiwanese and handle their piece of legislation appropriately," Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琪) said.
Wang did not elaborate on what he meant by "appropriately," but said Taipei believed the "mainland authorities have the wisdom to know how to handle it appropriately."
Wang said President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) position on the "Anti-Secession" Law has been consistent since it was enacted four years ago.
"He has insisted on protecting the sovereignty of the Republic of China and maintaining Taiwan's dignity," Wang said. "He has always believed the 'Anti-Secession' Law is unnecessary and unfeasible."
Wang said the legislation was unnecessary because the majority of Taiwanese were in favor of maintaining the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait and are against Taiwanese independence.
The cross-strait situation has also experienced a substantial shift since Ma took office in May, Wang said. Over the past nine months, Wang said, cross-strait tensions have diminished and both sides have gradually enhanced mutual trust based on the so-called "1992 consensus."
Cross-strait talks have won universal recognition and brought a glimpse of hope of peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait, he said.
The ※Anti-Secession§ Law is unfeasible because peaceful development of cross-strait relations must be achieved through the goodwill of both sides, Wang said. The process must be bilateral, equal and peaceful, he said, adding that it should not be unilaterally decided by Beijing.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council yesterday called on Beijing to abolish the ※Anti-Secession§ Law and remove the missiles targeted at Taiwan.
The council said in a statement that Beijing passed the law without showing much consideration for the feelings of Taiwanese and the apprehensions of the international community.
The article, which sanctions non-peaceful means to annex Taiwan, is unacceptable to Taiwanese, it said, and does not conform to Beijing＊s rhetoric of peaceful development.
As it is the responsibility of both sides to improve cross-strait relations, the council urged Beijing to abolish the statute, which it described as "incompatible with present needs." It also expressed the hope to see Beijing dismantle missiles aimed at Taiwan.
Only when peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region are restored can both sides create a win-win situation, it said, adding that Beijing must deal with the new cross-strait reality with a more positive attitude. The council also urged both sides to refrain from denying each other's existence and work toward creating a new era of prosperity.
At a separate setting yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) criticized the Presidential Office's statement as "superficial and weak in tone."
"[The Presidential Office's statement] was intended for domestic consumption. China will not take [those words] seriously," he said.
Lee said Ma should have made it clear in his statement that Taiwanese find it unacceptable for China to target missiles at Taiwan and threaten them with the ※Anti-Secession§ Law.
Under the DPP government, March 14 was declared "Anti-Aggression Day" as a gesture of stern protest, DPP Legislator Gao Jhy-peng (高志鵬) said, adding that the Ma administration's statement appeared to be nothing more than a formality.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
Also See: Ma "naive" on PRC law: forum
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
RSS