The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has once again used militaristic rhetoric in an attempt to intimidate Taiwan and neighboring countries, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday of Chinese Ministry of Defense Dong Jun’s (董軍) comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
During the annual defense and security forum, Dong said in a speech titled “Chinese Global Security Perspective” that China would “act resolutely and forcefully at all times to curb the independence of Taiwan,” adding that “whoever dares to split Taiwan from China will be crushed to pieces and suffer his own destruction.”
“The issue of Taiwan is at the core of China’s interests. The ‘one China’ principle is the globally accepted fundamental principle in international relations. The problem is that the Democratic Progressive Party is using a progressive approach to de-Sinicize Taiwan. It has attempted to cut off social, historical and cultural ties across the Taiwan Strait. Its separatist statements are ridiculous and show that it is arrogant. What the party did would cause it to be nailed on the pillar of shame in history,” he said.
Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba, AFP
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokesman Lii Wen (李問) said that Beijing distorted the position of the Taiwanese government at the conference, and has been using political means to prevent Taiwan from sending representatives to speak at the forum.
“This shows that China lacks confidence to engage in dialogue with the Taiwanese government. Its irrational remarks would never help it gain recognition from the international community,” Lii said.
It is Taiwan’s position to maintain the “status quo,” he said.
“As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is dedicated to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability. Recently, China unilaterally launched military exercises around the nation. Such a dangerous and irresponsible means of communication not only destroys the status quo, it challenges the international order,” he said.
President William Lai (賴清德) has on multiple occasions expressed his willingness to communicate with Beijing, Lii said, adding that both sides should share the responsibility of maintaining peace.
The MAC said it was regrettable that CCP officials had made belligerent and irrational remarks at the conference.
“The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign nation and has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China. It is a fact — and the status quo — that both sides are not subordinate to one another,” it said. “The CCP has repeatedly falsely linked UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 — which did not involve issues related to the status of Taiwan — to its so-called ‘one China’ principle. It has attempted to make the principle recognized by the international community. Neither Taiwan nor Taiwanese would accept it.”
Beijing’s frequent threats of using force to annex Taiwan severely contravenes Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, which states that “all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
“We want to solemnly tell the CCP government that it should not repeatedly misjudge the situation. They would get the opposite of what they seek if they continue to disrespect the choice of the people and their human rights by resorting to military threats, as such behavior contradicts international law,” the council said, adding that “the international community should jointly respond to” Dong’s statements.
Lai showed goodwill in his inauguration speech when he said that he would neither yield nor provoke China, the council said.
Lai said he would “choose dialogue over confrontation, exchange over containment” and pursue “peace in the Taiwan Strait, mutual benefits and prosperous coexistence” as common goals, it added.
“We hope that Beijing would feel and appreciate the goodwill and jointly pursue the positive development of cross-strait relations,” it said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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