Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) yesterday denied that China had played a role in her cancelation of a speech scheduled for Saturday in Los Angeles after she urged Beijing to abolish policies and laws concerning military deployments targeting Taiwan.
Lai, who returned to Taipei from the US yesterday morning, said she canceled the last leg of her trip because her plane had mechanical problems, adding that it had nothing to do with China.
The last-minute change of plan prompted speculation that China had pressured her to cancel the speech after she called on Beijing to repeal its “Anti-Secession” Law, which authorizes the Chinese military to take Taiwan via “non-peaceful” means if Taiwan makes moves toward de jure independence.
“This speculation is purely groundless,” she told reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday.
Lai said she tried for six or seven hours to get another flight to Los Angeles, but to no avail. Describing the incident as “an act of God,” Lai said she had no other choice but to cancel her flight.
While giving a speech at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington on Wednesday, Lai urged Beijing to abolish “policies and laws” concerning military deployments targeting Taiwan. She said China’s military buildup and its “policy of taking Taiwan by force” were obstacles that must be removed if cross-strait relations are to move forward.
While Lai stopped short of naming the “Anti-Secession” Law in her speech, MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) in Taipei on Thursday called on China to review its “Anti-Secession” Law, which he described as “something unnecessary” in cross-strait relations. He also said the law was impeding the development of ties between Taipei and Beijing and that there was a need to review it after the two sides build a communication platform and develop mutual trust.
Lai yesterday said she had made good use of her limited time in the US to meet government officials, think tanks, academics and lawmakers. During the meetings, Lai said they recognized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government’s “benign interactions” with Beijing.
After explaining to them what the recently signed cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) was, Lai said they all fully supported it. Lai added that they thought the accord was something encouraging for the US and that it would play an important role in Taiwan’s attempt to be part of regional economic integration and develop closer economic relations with its major trading partners.
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