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
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and