The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government’s pro-China policies have helped boost China’s confidence in bringing Taiwan under its control, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
DPP Spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) made the comment in response to an impassioned speech delivered by China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) on Friday at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the founding of the group Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China.
In a speech dotted with “united front” (統戰) rhetoric, Chen said Taiwanese independence “runs counter to the common interests of compatriots from both sides of the Strait.”
Alluding to the DPP’s defeat in the 2008 presidential election, Chen said following a joint effort by compatriots from overseas and on both sides of the Strait, Taiwanese independence suffered a setback in March 2008 that led to a change in the Taiwan situation.
Following the recently signed cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), Chen said “the cross-strait relationship is at a new historic point.”
“Both sides, via a common political stance that opposes Taiwanese independence and insistence on the ‘1992 consensus,’ have overcome all kinds of hurdles and interference,” he said. “Mutual political trust has been strengthened and economic cooperation has deepened.”
Appearing emotional, Chen said that “it is our common dream to actualize the motherland’s peaceful unification and revival of the great Chinese nation (中華民族). Let all overseas Chinese unite, hold on to our root, make known our spirit and make our dream come true.”
Lin yesterday said the conduct of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration encouraged China to harbor such a confident attitude toward unification. Ma needs to explain whether he agrees with Chen’s remarks, Lin said.
Ma has on several occasions pledged the “three noes,” saying he would uphold them as the guideline for his cross-strait policy. The “three noes” refer to no discussion of unification with Beijing during his term, no pursuit or support of de jure Taiwanese independence and no use of military force to resolve the Taiwan issue.
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NON-INTERFERENCE: The US called Taiwan a trusted and capable partner, while an African Union leader urged nations to reflect on respect for sovereign choices Taiwan is a “trusted and capable” partner of the US and Taipei’s global relationships, including with Eswatini, provide significant benefits, the US Department of State said of President William Lai’s (賴清德) trip to the southern African kingdom. Lai arrived in the former Swaziland on Saturday on a surprise visit after a planned trip last month was canceled when Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar denied overflight permission for his aircraft due to Chinese pressure. “Taiwan is a trusted and capable partner of the United States and many others, and its relationships around the world provide significant benefits to the citizens of those countries,
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