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 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS