The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday reiterated President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “three noes” policy — no unification, no independence and no use of force — in response to China’s call for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to negotiate and sign a peace agreement.
Speaking at the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 18th National Congress in Beijing yesterday, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) also warned Taiwan against any moves toward independence and said that China would stick to the principle of “peaceful unification” with Taiwan under the “one country, two systems” model.
“We resolutely oppose any separatist attempt for Taiwan independence. The Chinese people will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from the motherland by any means,” he said.
“We will agree to interact with, conduct dialogue with and cooperate with any political parties in Taiwan, as long as they do not advocate Taiwan independence and as long as they identify with the ‘one China’ principle,” Hu said, adding that peaceful and stable development across the Taiwan Strait is a must if China is to achieve peaceful unification with Taiwan.
The council’s response said Taiwan’s government, under the Republic of China Constitution framework, would maintain the cross-strait “status quo” by upholding the “three noes” policy and the so-called “1992 consensus” — which stipulates that there is “one China, with each side having its own interpretation” — as the basis for peaceful and stable cross-strait development.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office publicized the content of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) interview with Asia Week magazine that was conducted on Friday last week, in which the president was asked whether he has considered signing a peace agreement with China. According to the press release, Ma said that last year, he floated the idea of a cross-strait peace agreement when he laid out his vision of a “golden decade” for the country, but many in Taiwan expressed doubt about it, which means that there is ample room for discussion on whether such a formality is needed.
In response to Hu’s speech, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that his comments relating to Taiwan were “basically the same” as those in the past.
“Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country. The differences between Taiwan and China, as well as mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, are a political reality that Beijing cannot evade,” Su said on the sidelines of a Rotary Club event.
“The DPP intends to engage the CCP with confidence and enthusiasm,” Su said.
“However, it would also encourage Chinese leaders to broaden their perspective and embrace Taiwanese public opinion,” he said.
While some DPP members and supporters are calling on the party to adjust its China policy, Su reiterated that there is “no rush” to implement such proposals, including the establishment of a China affairs committee and holding an intraparty debate on the party’s China policy.
The DPP’s China policy, Su said, should be formulated under the framework of regional security and global politics and after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (習近平), Hu’s anointed successor, has consolidated his power and unveiled his policy on Taiwan.
Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) told a press conference that Taiwanese should closely monitor Xi, who is widely perceived as the most knowledgeable Chinese politician on Taiwanese affairs and the first to suggest the “unification by trade” (以經促統) strategy.
“It’s worth watching if Xi continues Hu’s Taiwan policy by yielding more benefits and promoting more market opening before applying more political pressure on President Ma to sign a cross-strait peace agreement,” Hsu said.
Hsu also expected Xi to make use of “soft power,” trying to appeal to Taiwanese sympathies by promoting Chinese culture and establishing a communication platform between the CCP and the DPP to force Ma to accelerate his cross-strait political agenda.
Additionally, Xi could attempt to incorporate Taiwan by signing a wide range of bilateral agreements, including cross-strait cooperation on culture, media, religion and banking, which would become a “web” to advance a “natural unification process,” he said.
Chinese premier-designate Lee Keqiang (李克強) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Qishan (王岐山) are expected to take charge of the economic policies related to Taiwan, given their background in economic affairs, Hsu said.
In terms of Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi (王毅), who is expected to be promoted to the CCP politburo, Hsu said Wang had successfully enforced a “united front” tactic by arranging visits by hundreds of provincial officials and delegations to Taiwan.
Wang is also expected to play a pivotal role in Beijing’s Taiwan policy in the future as well, Hsu added.
Additional reporting by Huang Wei-chu and agencies
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS