The Consultative Committee of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) called on China to dismantle the missiles it points at Taiwan as soon as possible and stop boycotting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
A recent consultative committee meeting of the MAC held on Wednesday said that, alongside the recent closer economic ties forged with China, the Taiwan government should also find ways to fight for Taiwan’s dignity and international space.
Taiwan should also urge China to take the initiative in showing its willingness to further improve bilateral relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the committee said.
The committee members said China understands very well the feelings of Taiwanese, and in the interest of promoting interaction between the two sides, should remove the missiles it has aimed at Taiwan.
Reports have put the number of ballistic missiles deployed along China’s east coast and targeting Taiwan at about 1,300.
Turning to the recent launch of direct air and shipping links between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, some members of the committee said that the links were not a panacea for Taiwan’s economic woes.
In touting the recently improving economic cooperation between the two sides, the Taiwan government should emphasize that it is part of the process of normalizing bilateral cross-strait ties, the committee members said.
Resolve Differences
Meanwhile, the committee called on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to find ways to resolve their differences and reach agreement on cross-strait policy, as meaningless debates and accusations between the two parties would neither win the public’s support nor serve the best interests of Taiwan.
The committee members urged the MAC not to be swayed by any particular party or interest group, as its role is to serve as a platform for communication and negotiations on cross-strait issues.
However, it is also the MAC’s role to promote and strengthen interaction between ruling and opposition parties and to formulate unbiased policies in the future, the committee said.
KMT-CCP
As for the just-concluded forum between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party, the committee members said it was held in a period of transition and that the governing and opposition parties together with NGOs should discuss the future necessity of such a forum.
NGOs and academics could also be part of a non-official communication channel between the two sides of the strait, the committee said.
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