China's "Anti-Secession" Law en-acted in 2005 unquestionably destroyed the mechanisms for improving cross-strait relations Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said yesterday.
Two communiques signed between Beijing and two pan-blue leaders later that year further im-peded Taiwan's struggle for independence, he said.
The"Anti-Secession" Law, passed in China on March 14, 2005, authorized the Chinese military to take Taiwan via "non-peaceful" means if Taiwan makes moves towards de jure independence.
PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen yesterday blasted the law, along with the two communiques signed by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (
The two communiques, namely the agreements signed between Lien and Chinese President Hu Jin-tao (胡錦濤) in April 2005 and another signed between Hu and Soong later that year, all carried strong pro-unification undertones that gave a thumbs-up to the so called "one-China" principle, Chen said.
"Although the KMT, being the opposition party at the time, had no legal authority to sign any agreements on behalf of the government, the passage of the law and the signing of the communiques has since become the trammel of Taiwan's fate," Chen said.
He condemned the communiques as appendages to the "Anti-Secession" Law that give Beijing more ground to strangle Taiwan's standing in internationally.
The communiques not only failed to recognize "one-China, two interpretations," they also function like a dummy company to help China "smuggle" in its "one-China" principle that would eventually sell out Taiwan's sovereignty, he said.
For example, he said, after signing the communiques, Hu has on numerous occasions cited them as justification to claim Taiwan as part of the "motherland."
Chen also chastised Beijing's "two-faced approach" of giving Taiwanese businessmen economic sweeteners while increasing the number of missiles pointing at Taiwan.
MAC Vice-chairman Liu Teh-hsun (劉德勳) pointed out Article five of the law -- often overlooked by critics -- which stipulates that Taiwan would only be allowed to exist under a "high degree of autonomy after reunification."
"The vision of the future should be better than the current reality. How is a `high-degree of autonomy' a better offer than what Taiwan has right now?" he said, adding that if China was sincere, it should offer Taiwan something lucrative enough for it to be willing to change its status.
Meanwhile, in related news, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) warned in an interview published yesterday that China would never stop intimidating and harassing Taiwan regardless of who wins the presidential election next weekend.
Chen said China would have already "taken" Taiwan if he had not upheld its sovereignty during the past eight years.
"You think that when a certain person assumes power, a certain party comes into power, China will change its ambition, intention and preparations to annex Taiwan?" Chen told the Financial Times.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP
TENSIONS: The Chinese aircraft and vessels were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a joint air and sea military exercise, the Ministry of National Defense said A relatively large number of Chinese military aircraft and vessels were detected in Taiwan’s vicinity yesterday morning, apparently en route to a Chinese military exercise in the western Pacific, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. In a statement, the ministry said 36 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including J-16 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or an extension of it, and were detected in the southern and southeastern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) from 5:20am to 9:30am yesterday. They were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
CASES SLOWING: Although weekly COVID-19 cases are rising, the growth rate has been falling, from 90 percent to 30 percent, 14 percent and 6 percent, the CDC said COVID-19 hospitalizations last week rose 6 percent to 987, while deaths soared 55 percent to 99, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that the recent wave of infections would likely peak this week. People aged 65 or older accounted for 79 percent of the hospitalizations and 90 percent of the deaths, the majority of whom have or had underlying health conditions, CDC data showed. The youngest hospitalized case last week was a six-month-old, who was born preterm and was unvaccinated, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said. The infant had a fever, coughing and a runny nose early this month, but