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.
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