President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday promised to hold a referendum before signing any peace agreement with China and stressed that his administration would also leave such a pact aside if China failed to accept his “three noes” policies and the “1992 consensus” as premises of cross-strait peace talks.
Stepping up his efforts to dismiss concerns about unification behind his recent proposal to see a peace deal within a decade, Ma said a peace pact would only be signed with strong domestic support and a public consensus on the issue could be determined either through a referendum or polls.
“If we decided to proceed with the peace agreement, a referendum would be held first to gauge public opinion about the issue, and we won’t sign the agreement if it fails the referendum ... This is to show both our determination and caution in handling such a pact,” Ma told a news conference at the Presidential Office.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
When asked about his opposition to holding a referendum on the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) before it was signed in June last year, Ma said a peace pact would have much more of an impact on society than the ECFA, and added that referendums, despite doubts about how representative of public opinion they are, remain a major means to reflect public opinion.
Before signing the ECFA with China, Ma and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rejected the idea of a referendum on the pact despite calls from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and many civil groups, who warned that the agreement would promote unification.
Stressing the economic nature of the ECFA, Ma said holding a referendum was time-consuming and expensive, and that only issues of great importance, such as those involving Taiwan’s sovereignty, need be put to a plebiscite.
Ma denied his peace pact proposal would lead to political negotiations on unification or independence, and said his “three noes” policy — no unification, no independence and no use of force — and the “1992 consensus” — which he said refers to “one China, with each side having its own interpretation” — would remain the most important principles in promoting cross-strait relations.
“If the mainland refuses to accept our principles, then we will put the peace agreement on hold ... We don’t have to sign the agreement within the next decade, and there’s no timetable for such a pact,” Ma said.
Signing a peace agreement with China was one of the proposals Ma outlined for what he calls a “golden decade,” one of the planks in his re-election campaign platform. The proposed peace talks, mentioned by Ma on Monday, drew criticism from the DPP, with DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) accusing him of risking Taiwan’s sovereignty and democratic values.
She also cited the 1951 deal between Tibet and China as an example of Beijing’s lack of credibility when it comes to peace pacts, warning that such an agreement could have serious consequences for the nation.
However, Ma yesterday said that China had treated Tibet as a province when it signed the 1951 pact, and that situation would not apply to Taiwan, which is a sovereign nation.
“It is a ridiculous comparison and Chairperson Tsai did not know what she was saying ... I urge [her] not to make such unbecoming comments,” he said.
He also said that Tsai was -flip-flopping on the question of a peace agreement, saying that as former vice chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council she supported the establishment of a cross-strait mechanism to promote cross-strait peace eight years ago.
“It’s unfair and unreasonable that some people intentionally distort our efforts to seek sustainable peace across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Tianjin, China, where the latest round of cross-strait talks are taking place, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Deputy Chairman Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中) said ending cross-strait hostility and signing a peace agreement “have been the common wish of compatriots from both sides of the Strait.”
His comments were in response to press queries about China’s reaction to Ma’s peace pact proposal.
Cross-strait negotiators in Tianjin are focusing on cooperating on nuclear safety in this round of talks.
Additional reporting by CNA
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
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses 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
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS