China’s “one country, two systems” model is to a large degree about Taiwan remaining autonomous, a Chinese academic said on Saturday.
Zhou Zhihuai (周志懷), head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Taiwan Studies, made the comment after US President Barack Obama on Friday told his year-end news conference that “Taiwanese have agreed that as long as they’re able to continue to function with some degree of autonomy, that they won’t charge forward and declare independence.”
The “one country, two systems” concept was the brainchild of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平), which he put forth during a meeting with then-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in September 1982.
Deng used the policy to highlight his promise that Hong Kong would be allowed to keep its freedoms when it was returned to China in 1997.
Several Taiwanese academics have since said that while the framework was put into practice in Hong Kong, it was originally designed for “unification” with Taiwan.
Under the “one country, two systems” model, Taiwan would retain a high degree of autonomy in military and foreign affairs activities, Zhou told a forum in Beijing.
“Military affairs, an international presence and participation in international organizations would all be free of hindrance from us. This is the core aspect of ‘one country, two systems,’” Zhou said.
Solving the “Taiwan problem” would require a significant amount of time, but China would not permit moves toward Taiwanese independence in the interim, Zhou said.
Citing a statement that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) made last month during a commemorative event for Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙), Zhou referred to “six anys.”
“[China] will not permit any person, any organization or any political party at any time, using any means to tear any part of Chinese territory away from the country,” he said.
The telephone call between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US president-elect Donald Trump earlier this month was “a mishap and a provocation,” Zhou said, adding that the move gave impetus to the “delusions of Taiwan separatists.”
Those who believe that Trump will support Taiwan independence after he takes office are “gravely mistaken,” Zhou said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS