President William Lai (賴清德) should backpedal from his new “two-state theory” and return to the “one China” principle in line with the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution, to foster and rebuild mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday.
Hsiao made the remark after the Chinese government on Friday revealed guidelines saying that its courts, prosecutors, and public and state security bodies should “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession crimes by the law, and resolutely defend national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.”
The Democratic Progressive Party’s “kneejerk” reaction every time China adopts a tougher stance is to criticize Beijing, Hsiao said.
Photo: Lin Hsin-ying, Taipei Time
“This is not conducive to de-escalating cross-strait tension,” he said.
Lai must explain why China did not make such moves under the administrations of former presidents Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Hsiao said.
The increased cross-strait tension under Lai compared with ties under the Tsai and Ma administrations showed that Lai’s independence leanings are unpropitiously affecting cross-strait relations, he said.
The spike in cross-strait tension was due to Lai’s “unconstitutional statements regarding the new ‘two-state theory,’” Hsiao said, adding that the statements were regrettable.
The Lai administration’s seeming determination not to back down resulted in China’s statements on Friday, Hsiao said, adding that Taiwan should back away from the confrontational and radical rhetoric, which would benefit the public.
For true peace across the Taiwan Strait to be realized, one must demonstrate integrity by following the Constitution and adhering to the “1992 consensus,” which formed the foundation of cross-strait policies under former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Ma, he said.
The so-called “1992 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.
Referring to Chinese Ministry of Public Security official Sun Ping’s (孫萍) remarks that the guidelines “do not target most Taiwanese compatriots, only an extremely small minority” of independence advocates, Hsiao said that private interactions across the strait would continue.
The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation would continue to foster cross-strait youth events in the hope of laying a solid foundation to build mutual trust, he said.
Separately, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) reiterated that China has no judicial control over the ROC.
However, both sides should exercise restraint lest hostilities spiral out of control, Chu said.
Lai should “relax,” as over the past month, his party has attacked and opposed the KMT instead of engaging in dialogue, Chu said.
‘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
RSS