The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is deliberately creating tension in the Taiwan Strait, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a report to the Legislative Yuan.
MAC Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) is today to deliver a report on the development of the situation in the Strait amid US-China tensions, and answer questions from lawmakers on the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
Although the US and China have differences regarding the management and control of various issues, the situation remains stable, the council said in the report, which it submitted to the committee.
Interactions between the US and China on issues such as the climate, economy and trade, North Korea, Iran’s nuclear program and the Middle East, as well as their strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region, would affect the situation in the region, the report said.
The CCP continues to reiterate its “one China” principle and deny Taiwan’s sovereignty, the report said.
Beijing has also said that only by recognizing its “one China” principle and the so-called “1992 consensus” could cross-strait relations become peaceful and stable, and the two sides engage in dialogue, thereby blaming Taiwan for the deadlock in cross-strait relations, the report said.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former MAC chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has recently conducted several exercises in the region, the report said.
The PLA has claimed that its exercises in the Strait, which simulate actual combat, were aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and were solemn responses to interference by external forces and “provocation” by the Taiwanese independence movement, the report said.
The CCP has deliberately created an atmosphere of tension in the Strait and used cognitive warfare against the nation, and intends to influence international support and the morale of Taiwanese, the report said.
Without communicating with Taiwan, Beijing unilaterally announced the so-called “22 measures on agriculture and forestry,” and China’s Fujian Province postponed an earlier decision to relax quarantine restrictions for Taiwanese, affecting the rights and interests of Taiwanese and Chinese, the report said.
Beijing’s continued use of a two-pronged approach of forcing Taiwan into accepting an outcome in cross-strait relations determined unilaterally by China while threatening Taiwan’s national security is the main source of instability in the Strait, the report added.
In the face of the CCP’s growing threat and challenges to the nation, the government’s policy has always been to maintain the “status quo” across the Strait, the report said.
The government would continue to carefully assess the situation, reinforce Taiwan’s defense, and defend its sovereignty, democracy and freedom, it added.
In the report, the council called on Beijing to face the realities on both sides of the Strait and respect Taiwanese public opinion.
It also urged Beijing to give up its compulsory propositions, and military and diplomatic oppression of Taiwan, and to handle cross-strait relations in a pragmatic way.
Beijing should assume responsibility in promoting positive interactions between the two sides of the Strait, and resolve differences through communication and dialogue, the council said.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
NEGOTIATIONS: The US response to the countermeasures and plans Taiwan presented has been positive, including boosting procurement and investment, the president said Taiwan is included in the first group for trade negotiations with the US, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he seeks to shield Taiwanese exporters from a 32 percent tariff. In Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview on Fox News on Thursday that he would speak to his Taiwanese and Israeli counterparts yesterday about tariffs after holding a long discussion with the Vietnamese earlier. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday postponed punishing levies on multiple trade partners, including Taiwan, for three months after trillions of US dollars were wiped off global markets. He has maintained a 10 percent