The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) declined yesterday to comment on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's (溫家寶) statement in London that Beijing will seriously consider making a unification law, a move believed to be a counter to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) constitutional reform agenda.
Council Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (
On Sunday, Wen, who took a 10-day trip to parts of Europe including Germany, the UK and Italy, met with Chinese embassy officials, businesspeople, students and some representatives of overseas Chinese in London.
One representative of an overseas Chinese group suggested during the meeting that China make the unification law as soon as possible because the law might help Beijing solve its sovereign disputes with Taiwan peacefully.
Wen said the suggestion was "very important" and promised to give serious thought to it.
Chinese academics, including Zhang Nianchi (
Wen is believed to be the first Chinese leader to formally respond to the idea.
Zhang, in an interview with the Chinese-language newspaper the United Daily News, said he was not surprised by Wen's verbal endorsement of the idea.
The academic published an article in March to illustrate the urgency for Beijing to create the law in the light of Taiwan's referendum and constitutional reform planned for 2006.
In his article, Zhang described the referendum and constitutional reform as legal efforts to "legitimize Taiwan's independence."
Over the years, Beijing has been busy curbing all possible moves to pursue Taiwan's independence and ignored laws made in Taiwan that may help the island achieve its desired status, according to Zhang.
It is Chen Shui-bian's timetable for constitutional reform that alarmed Beijing about the possibility of Taiwan's independence being attained through legal work, Zhang said, adding that Taiwan has forced China to consider making the unification law.
Contents of the law, Zhang said, will give clear definitions to "unification," "separation" and "Taiwan's independence." The law shall also map out stages to achieve unification and approaches to reach the aim.
The law shall also regulate how to counter moves towards Taiwan's independence. It would provide legal measures to handle independence actions.
"Peace is one way to achieve unification; war is the other," said Zhang.
Therefore, Zhang said, while the law should say how to unify with Taiwan through peaceful means, it also should define conditions under which war is permitted.
However, Chang Wu-yen (張五岳), a professor at the Institute of China Studies in Tamkang University, said it is highly unlikely Beijing would pass the unification law.
Wen's answer to the request to make the law was not surprising, the professor said. On that occasion in London, "it would be really strange if Wen did not say the unification issue was very important," he added.
Chang said Wen responded to the idea of the law only when asked by his audience.
"He was passively answering a question," he said.
If China unilaterally makes the law without taking Taiwanese people's opinions into account, the law will be unrealistic, Chang said.
"Hong Kong's Basic Law was not made by Beijing alone, either," he said.
"What both sides really need now is a peace and stability framework," Chang said.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS