The Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state that is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan has never been ruled by the PRC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday stated in response to PRC President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) claim that “Taiwan is a sacred territory of China.”
Xi on Monday evening, the eve of the 75th anniversary of the PRC, made the claim in a speech delivered at a National Day reception banquet in Beijing.
He reiterated Beijing’s goal of achieving “reunification” with Taiwan, saying that it is inevitable and crucial for “fulfilling the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” which is “the hope of Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and all Chinese people.”
Photo: Taipei Times
“It is an irreversible trend, a matter of righteousness, and the common aspiration of the people,” Xi said. “No one can stop the march of history.”
“Taiwan is the sacred territory of China. Blood is thicker than water, and people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, and these blood ties will always be stronger than others,” he said.
Xi also called for deepening economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan and encouraging the “spiritual harmony of compatriots on both sides,” while resolutely opposing “Taiwan independence” activities.
In Taipei yesterday, MOFA spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said the ministry’s stance is clear: “ROC Taiwan is a sovereign state, and it and the PRC are not subordinate to each other.”
“Taiwan has never been a part of the PRC, and the PRC has never ruled Taiwan, which is a fact and status quo generally acknowledged by the international community,” he said in response to media queries.
Regarding Xi’s remarks on promoting the “spiritual harmony of people on both sides of the Strait” and “placing the hope on Taiwanese,” Liu said that Taiwan’s more than 23 million people stand firm with the nation’s democratic constitutional system, and firmly believe that the ROC and the PRC are not subordinate to each other.
They also believe that the nation’s sovereignty is inviolable and unannexable, and that the ROC’s future must be determined by the will of the Taiwanese, he said.
“We call for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and request the international space we deserve and the legitimate right to participate in international organizations,” Liu said.
“We also hope that we will not experience interference when we cheer for Taiwan’s athletes in the Olympics,” he added.
Separately, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday also stated that the ROC is a sovereign state and that Taiwan has never been a part of the PRC.
That is the objective reality and the “status quo” of the Taiwan Strait, the council added.
The CCP uses its so-called “one China principle” and “1992 consensus” as the political precondition for cross-strait interaction, but it does not leave any “survival space” for the ROC, so it has been rejected by the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, the council said.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the then-ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the CCP that both sides of the Strait are part of “one China,” but with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Chen Fu-yu
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines yesterday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle on Friday docked at Subic Bay, a former US naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Philippine forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in
COMBAT READINESS: The military is reviewing weaponry, personnel resources, and mobilization and recovery forces to adjust defense strategies, the defense minister said The military has released a photograph of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) appearing to sit beside a US general during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Friday last week in a historic first. In the photo, Koo, who was presiding over the drills with high-level officers, appears to be sitting next to US Marine Corps Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy of the US Indo-Pacific Command, although only Bargeron’s name tag is visible in the seat as “J5 Maj General.” It is the first time the military has released a photo of an active
RSS