Taiwan would not negotiate with China under the threat of force, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) told lawmakers yesterday.
Chen made the remark at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in response to a question by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wen Yu-hsia (溫玉霞) on the US Department of Defense’s Report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.
The report, released on Wednesday, said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aims to complete the modernization of its forces by 2027, a goal that, if realized, “would provide Beijing with more credible military options in a Taiwan contingency.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The report, quoting a military source in the Chinese media, said that the PLA’s goals for 2027 were to “develop the capabilities to counter the US military in the Indo-Pacific region, and compel Taiwan’s leadership to the negotiation table on Beijing’s terms.”
The scenario cannot be ruled out, as using military action to force negotiations is part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategic thinking, Chen said, adding that Taiwan would need to react, but that certain safeguards are in place.
Chen cited the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
Article 5-3 of the act states that no negotiation with China can be conducted without a vote in favor from three-quarters of the Legislative Yuan, provisions for terminating the negotiation and a referendum to ratify agreements with Beijing.
“However, this government will never take part in a negotiation under the threat of military force, even if it had been duly authorized to do so,” Chen said, adding that Taiwan would by no means give up its pride.
KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) asked whether China’s growing nuclear arsenal could be turned against Taiwan, and if Chen agreed that Washington is pushing the country into a proxy war with China.
Chen said that China is developing its nuclear capabilities in the context of its competition with the US and other nuclear-armed states in the region, including India and North Korea.
It would be a tragedy for people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait if China were to use its nuclear arsenal against Taiwan, he added.
Regarding the risks of being embroiled in the US-China rivalry, Chen said that Beijing’s military buildup against Taiwan is motivated by the CCP’s ideological need to “unify” the country, which Beijing has publicly affirmed.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said that Chen should definitively state that China would not invade the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙島) before the end of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) term.
While a limited war over the Pratas Islands was part of the PLA’s strategic plan, the communist leadership rejected it following an internal debate, Chen said.
Lai added that some of his constituents are afraid for the safety of their children who are soldiers stationed on the Pratas Islands.
It is the duty of soldiers to lay down their lives for the country if necessary, Chen said.
“Appeasement will not bring peace,” he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is