Taiwan and China need not sign a peace treaty because the Chinese civil war was a matter between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a China expert said yesterday, adding that signing a pact could spur Beiing to launch a war should Taiwan refuse to toe the line.
Ruan Ming (阮銘), a Chinese political analyst and a consultant at the Taiwan Research Institute, told a forum that he was against Taiwan inking a peace accord with China because the civil war involving two parties had nothing to do with Taiwan.
“It is not an issue that the Taiwanese and Chinese should end the civil war and cease the state of hostility,” he said. “If the two sides want to sign any peace treaty, it should be between the KMT and the CCP.”
Once a peace accord is signed, China could wage an “anti-Taiwan independence” war any time should Taiwanese refuse to be annexed by China, Ruan said.
Ruan made the remarks during a forum organized by Taiwan Advocates, founded by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), to review the impact of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “one China” policy on Taiwan’s national security in the run-up to the second anniversary of Ma’s inauguration on Thursday.
Ruan said Taiwan and China could develop economic and cultural relationships on the basis of equality and mutual benefits, but there would never be mutual trust or a win-win situation for both sides because they have very different core values and strategies.
Calling the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) the Ma administration seeks to sign with Beijing an “erroneous economic strategy,” Ruan said Ma had made a grave mistake in his political strategy.
“The ECFA is an economic framework for the ‘one-China market,’ while the ‘peace agreement’ is a political framework for the advancement of unification and opposition to Taiwan independence,” Ruan said. “In other words, the peace treaty will be a critical step toward the realization of China's ‘Anti-secession’ Law.”
Ruan said what Taiwan needed right now was to have its own constitution, not to seek Taiwan independence because it is already an independent sovereignty.
“Self-recognition outweighs international recognition,” he said. “It is a fact that the international community calls Taiwan ‘Taiwan,’ but nobody knows where the Republic of China is,” Ruan said.
Vincent Chen (陳文賢), a history professor at National Chengchi University, said Ma's “one-China” policy had gradually eroded Taiwan's sovereignty.
“The Republic of China government and the People’s Republic of China government both claim ownership over Taiwan, but a majority of the 23 million Taiwanese agree that sovereignty resides in them and they have the final say on Taiwan's future,” Chen said. “It is worrying to see Taiwan's sovereignty eaten away as President Ma accepts [the] ‘one China’ [policy] even though he insists that both sides have their own interpretation of what ‘one China’ means.”
Chen also criticized Ma’s pledge of “no unification, no independence and no use of force” as empty and “lip service” aimed at courting moderate voters.
He said Ma made those pledges because he knew unification was not popular in Taiwan.
However, unification remains the KMT's ultimate goal, he said.
Neither can Ma speak for pro-independence activists, he said.
As for Ma’s pledge not to use force, only Beijing could call the shots, he said.
Former representative to Japan Koh Se-kai (許世楷) urged the public to reject KMT candidates at the ballot box if they want a better future.
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers