It is difficult for Beijing’s unilaterally constructed “one China” principle to win public recognition in Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in response to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) reiteration of Beijing’s determination to quash any Taiwanese pro-independence forces.
The council issued a statement expressing regret over Xi’s report yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 19th National Congress in Beijing, in which he reiterated Beijing’s adherence to its previous cross-strait policy.
“The differences in [political] systems and ideologies across the Taiwan Strait have not created a gulf in interactions over the past three decades. Rather, artificial obstructions and divisions have been the main causes of the worsening deadlock,” the council said.
Photo: AFP
The council urged Beijing to accept that it is unlikely for its unilateral and heavy-handed “one China” principle and “one country, two systems” formulation to gain the support of Taiwanese.
“Respect and communication are the only keys to narrowing the differences between the two sides,” the council said.
In his three-and-a-half-hour report, Xi mentioned the so-called “1992 consensus” four times, saying it embodies the spirit of Beijing’s “one China” principle and clearly defines the nature of cross-strait relations.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the CCP that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The “1992 consensus” lies at the center of the cross-strait stalemate. Beijing has been persistent in its stance that it is the prerequisite for exchanges and dialogue, while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has refused to accept it, instead calling for a “new pattern of engagement.”
Meanwhile, Xi said that China over the past five years has firmly opposed and prevented Taiwanese independence, and that Beijing has achieved a historical meeting between the two sides’ leaders.
He was referring to his meeting with then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in November 2015, the first meeting between the top leaders of Taiwan and China since the KMT’s retreat to Taiwan in 1949.
China has “the resolve, confidence and ability to defeat separatist attempts for Taiwanese independence in any form,” Xi said.
“We will never allow any person, organization or political party, at any time or in any form, to separate any part of Chinese territory from China,” he said.
The congress is seen as the most significant political gathering in China since Xi came to power in 2012. His remarks on cross-strait relations are to serve as important indicators of Beijing’s policy toward Taiwan.
The council, expressing the hope that China could work to adopt policies that promote “democracy, peace, fairness and justice” as it endeavors to become stronger and carry out systematic reform, called on Beijing to adopt “a new mindset and healthy attitude” toward cross-strait relations.
“When dealing with cross-strait issues, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her government have a rational and pragmatic attitude, and have refrained from any forms of provocation,” the council said, adding that joint efforts should be made to explore a new model for interactions and to promote pragmatic communication to move cross-strait relations forward.
The Presidential Office issued a mild response compared with that issued by the council.
“The government has endeavored to maintain cross-strait relations based on public opinion and domestic consensus, and has continuously extended a friendly hand in the hope of resolving our divisions and differences through virtuous interactions,” the office said, adding that it believes the international community understands and has noticed those efforts.
The DPP government’s policy to strive for regional peace and stability has always been clear and persistent, the office said.
It also reiterated Tsai’s “new four noes” for cross-strait ties.
“Our goodwill remains unchanged. Our promise [to maintain the ‘status quo’] remains unchanged. We will not return to the old path of conflict and we will not succumb to pressure,” it said.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS