President William Lai’s (賴清德) emphasis on a new “two-state theory” in his inaugural speech on Monday would only expose cross-strait relations to more unpredictable risks and challenges, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) told a forum in Taipei yesterday.
“As a former president of the Republic of China [ROC], I would urge President Lai, for the sake of people in Taiwan, to revise his new “two-state theory” in his inaugural speech, putting aside his political ideology and considering the welfare of Taiwanese,” Ma said.
“He should have dialogue with the government across the Strait by returning to historical and cultural common ground with the Chinese. Only in this manner can there be a chance for peace in the Taiwan Strait,” he added.
Photo: Taipei News Photographer Association / Bloomberg
Lai said in his speech that China should face the reality of the ROC’s existence, and that the ROC and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are not subordinate to each other.
The statement was perceived by some as promoting a “two-state theory.”
Ma echoed the sentiment in a forum on cross-strait relations under the Lai administration hosted by Chinese Culture University.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has in the past eight years failed to establish a channel of communication with China, Ma said.
As such, when two Chinese fishers who illegally entered waters around Kinmen County died during a pursuit by Taiwan’s coast guard, people were concerned that it could trigger a conflict, he said.
“The solutions to cross-strait disagreements can be found in the Constitution,” he said. “Amendments to the Constitution stipulate that Taiwan and China maintain a special relationship, which is not that of between two countries before the two areas are unified. Only by upholding this position stated in the Constitution can a cross-strait war be prevented.”
KMT legislators, whose party has the most seats in the legislature, should ask Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) about his interpretation of cross-strait relations according to the Constitution, whether it is that of “two countries” or “two areas,” he said.
Ma said that poor cross-strait ties were due to the DPP government’s unwillingness to recognize the Constitution’s description of the relationship and the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Ma said that in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Singapore on Nov. 7, 2015, he had assured Xi that Taiwan’s interpretation of “one China” would neither turn Taiwan and China into two separate states nor turn Taiwan into an independent nation.
When the two spoke this year, Xi told him that he hoped that cross-strait exchanges would continue and be held frequently, so long as Taiwan and China acknowledge that they are both Chinese and share the same ancestors, Ma said.
Separately yesterday, former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who heads the Straits Exchange Foundation in the new administration, defended Lai’s inauguration address.
Lai reaffirmed in his speech Taipei’s willingness to engage in dialogue with Beijing and uphold the “status quo” based on the Constitution, Cheng said, adding that Lai also reiterated the stance that the ROC and the PRC are not subordinate to each other.
The main points in Lai’s speech on cross-strait ties were that China cannot avoid dialogue with Taiwan’s elected government, and that it should choose “exchanges over containment, and dialogue over confrontation,” Cheng said.
Lai’s cross-strait rhetoric was in line with that of many former presidents, including Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), with the only exception being Ma, who upheld the “1992 consensus,” Cheng said.
The DPP has never acknowledged the “1992 consensus,” arguing that Beijing allows no room for the interpretation of “China” as the ROC, he said.
Acceptance of the “consensus” would imply agreement with China’s claim over Taiwan, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS