National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) on Monday described the cross-strait situation over the past five months as “lax outside, but tense inside,” adding that he expects official exchanges to become even more limited.
Peng, a former air force commander, said that in many ways, China has seemed to maintain its attitude toward Taiwan from before May 20, when President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office, but it has suppressed Taiwan on various occasions.
He also said China is still watching the words and deeds of Tsai and has yet to set a tone in dealing with the Tsai administration.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
At organizations in which Taiwan is a member, China would continue to let Taiwan participate, but it would rigorously demand that Taiwan follow regulations, Peng said.
At organizations in which Taiwan is yet to become a member, its entry would depend on China’s assessment and Beijing would only consider it if the nation’s participation benefits both sides, he said.
Asked whether China would initiate a diplomatic war, Peng said such a possibility exists, but added that while pressure would continue to mount, it should not reach a breaking point.
Taiwan was unable to take part in this year’s International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly as well as an Interpol meeting mainly due to China’s objections.
Beijing has cooled ties with Taipei because the Tsai administration refuses to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The DPP has said that no “consensus” ever existed — although Tsai said in her inauguration speech that the two sides “arrived at various joint acknowledgements and understandings” in a “spirit of mutual understanding and a political attitude of seeking common ground while setting aside differences.”
It says the “consensus” brands Taiwan as a part of China, which a majority of Taiwanese do not agree with.
Beijing sees the “consensus” as the political foundation for dialogue between Taiwan and China and has frozen dialogue with Taipei and put increasing pressure on it in the international community.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS