The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said the “one country, two areas (一國兩區)” rhetoric about handling cross-strait relations was in line with the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution, dismissing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) accusations that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had jeopardized Taiwan’s sovereignty.
The “one country, two areas” concept is consistent with Ma’s “three noes” policy under the structure of the ROC Constitution, and the term “one country” refers to the ROC, KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) said yesterday.
“The ‘one country, two areas’ concept highlights the sovereignty of the ROC. The country’s sovereignty was confirmed more than 20 years ago in legislation and constitutional amendments,” he said, adding that the definition had not changed under the administrations of former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Yin shrugged off a DPP demand that Ma and the KMT explain why they unilaterally made such a crucial decision about Taiwan’s status without public discussion, saying that the DPP had also established its own China policies under the same constitutional structure.
“The Presidential Office has clearly explained that ‘one -country’ means the ‘ROC,’ and under the same standards, shouldn’t the DPP ask former chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to explain the DPP’s China policy, too?” Yin asked.
Ma, when presiding over the KMT’s Central Standing Committee yesterday in his capacity as KMT chairman, challenged the DPP and Tsai over their China policy, saying the DPP had no leg to stand on in criticizing the “one country, two areas” concept.
Saying that Tsai, a former Mainland Affairs Council minister, had in the past proposed a “one country, four areas” concept for cross-strait relations and China’s relations with Hong Kong and -Macao, Ma added: “As an advocate of ‘one country, four areas,’ Tsai should be the last person to think that the ‘one country, two areas’ proposal is dangerous.”
Late yesterday, Tsai issued a statement in response, saying Ma’s remarks “stealthily substituted one thing for another” and was an attempt to obscure the focus and look for excuses.
Tsai said the “one country, four areas” concept was intended to explain domestic laws governing interaction among people from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Macao. Nowhere did it pertain to cross-strait relations, she said.
Additional reporting by staff writer
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese