The Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday that it was keeping a close eye on China to determine whether Beijing planned to expand the "Anti-Secession" Law and to strictly regulate exchanges between the two countries.
Once China formulates detailed guidelines for the implementation of the Anti-Secession Law, the state of cross-strait relations would become clearer, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday.
"The [Anti-Secession Law] is aimed at making the cross-strait issue a domestic Chinese affair and restricting Taiwan's international presence," Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Chairman Liu Te-shun (
In addition to saying that the council would monitor developments, Liu called on the international community to take heed of China's moves.
Liu made the remarks in response to reports published yesterday in the Liberty Times -- the Chinese-language sister paper of the Taipei Times.
Both the council and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were aware of the information, the report said, and the government would take appropriate action if necessary.
The Anti-Secession Law states that it was enacted to "oppose Taiwan's secession from China in the name of Taiwanese independence."
The law describes the Taiwan issue as an "internal affair" and says that no outside forces are allowed to interfere in "Taiwan's ultimate reunification with the motherland."
The legislation also empowers the Chinese government to employ non-peaceful measures if the "Taiwan independence secessionist forces should act ... by any means to cause Taiwan's secession from China, or if major incidents [leading to] Taiwan's secession from China should occur, or if the possibilities for a peaceful reunification should be completely exhausted."
Expressing concern over Beijing's plan to build an "economic zone on the west side of the Taiwan Strait" and set up a "Taimin special zone" that groups Taiwan and Fujian Province as one area, Liu said that the proposal was part of China's "united-front" propaganda effort and of little economic interest.
"We are worried that such a mechanism would make Taiwan another Hong Kong," Liu said. "While we expect the initiative to be the focus of China's future Taiwan policy, both sides should seek to normalize cross-strait relations and China must not treat Taiwan as a special zone."
While China's parliament has included the "economic zone" and "Taimin special zone" in its "11th five-year plan," Liu said that Beijing was still in the process of working out the details.
Liu made the remark after hearing a report at a council meeting held yesterday morning.
As the normalization of cross-strait relations is a pre-requisite for further exchanges between Taiwan and China, Liu said that the key factor was whether Beijing was willing to conduct practical negotiations with the Taiwanese government.
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