Cross-strait negotiations have entered a more difficult period for Taiwan because China could not continue to provide this country with “goodwill” and “benefits” forever, the nation’s top security official said yesterday.
Cross-strait negotiations have entered a “deep water” period and from now on Beijing will likely change its policy from allowing Taiwan to “reap the benefits” of engagement to “exchanging interests,” National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) said.
Addressing legislators at a Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting on cross-strait relations, Tsai said relations had been relatively stable in recent years, but that the risk of conflict remained high.
That risk stems from variables such as January’s presidential election and the change in leadership in Beijing next year, he said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), who will step down next year, is considered a moderate with regard to Taiwan, but if his moderate policies were reviewed, criticized and then lost influence after a new leadership established itself in Beijing, and if hardliners increased their influence, cross-strait relations could become very unstable, Tsai said.
Officials in Beijing who handle Taiwan-related affairs could be replaced once Hu goes and it would take a long time before China’s new players and their intentions were known, Tsai said.
The easier aspects of cross-strait negotiations have mostly been completed and the negotiations have now entered “deeper waters,” which means China will pay more attention to meeting its own interests and those of Chinese firms, he said.
If Beijing concludes that its “goodwill” strategy is not achieving its aims toward the unification issue, then it could change course and adopt more drastic measures, Tsai said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS