On the fourth anniversary of the enactment of China's "Anti-Secession" Law, the Presidential Office yesterday urged Beijing to handle the piece of legislation "appropriately," saying it was "unnecessary" and "unfeasible."
"We think the mainland authorities should carefully consider the feelings of Taiwanese and handle their piece of legislation appropriately," Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琪) said.
Wang did not elaborate on what he meant by "appropriately," but said Taipei believed the "mainland authorities have the wisdom to know how to handle it appropriately."
Wang said President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) position on the "Anti-Secession" Law has been consistent since it was enacted four years ago.
"He has insisted on protecting the sovereignty of the Republic of China and maintaining Taiwan's dignity," Wang said. "He has always believed the 'Anti-Secession' Law is unnecessary and unfeasible."
Wang said the legislation was unnecessary because the majority of Taiwanese were in favor of maintaining the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait and are against Taiwanese independence.
The cross-strait situation has also experienced a substantial shift since Ma took office in May, Wang said. Over the past nine months, Wang said, cross-strait tensions have diminished and both sides have gradually enhanced mutual trust based on the so-called "1992 consensus."
Cross-strait talks have won universal recognition and brought a glimpse of hope of peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait, he said.
The ※Anti-Secession§ Law is unfeasible because peaceful development of cross-strait relations must be achieved through the goodwill of both sides, Wang said. The process must be bilateral, equal and peaceful, he said, adding that it should not be unilaterally decided by Beijing.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council yesterday called on Beijing to abolish the ※Anti-Secession§ Law and remove the missiles targeted at Taiwan.
The council said in a statement that Beijing passed the law without showing much consideration for the feelings of Taiwanese and the apprehensions of the international community.
The article, which sanctions non-peaceful means to annex Taiwan, is unacceptable to Taiwanese, it said, and does not conform to Beijing*s rhetoric of peaceful development.
As it is the responsibility of both sides to improve cross-strait relations, the council urged Beijing to abolish the statute, which it described as "incompatible with present needs." It also expressed the hope to see Beijing dismantle missiles aimed at Taiwan.
Only when peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region are restored can both sides create a win-win situation, it said, adding that Beijing must deal with the new cross-strait reality with a more positive attitude. The council also urged both sides to refrain from denying each other's existence and work toward creating a new era of prosperity.
At a separate setting yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) criticized the Presidential Office's statement as "superficial and weak in tone."
"[The Presidential Office's statement] was intended for domestic consumption. China will not take [those words] seriously," he said.
Lee said Ma should have made it clear in his statement that Taiwanese find it unacceptable for China to target missiles at Taiwan and threaten them with the ※Anti-Secession§ Law.
Under the DPP government, March 14 was declared "Anti-Aggression Day" as a gesture of stern protest, DPP Legislator Gao Jhy-peng (高志鵬) said, adding that the Ma administration's statement appeared to be nothing more than a formality.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
Also See: Ma "naive" on PRC law: forum
UPDATED (3:40pm): A suspected gas explosion at a shopping mall in Taichung this morning has killed four people and injured 20 others, as emergency responders continue to investigate. The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Situn District (西屯) at 11:33am. One person was declared dead at the scene, while three people were declared deceased later after receiving emergency treatment. Another 20 people sustained major or minor injuries. The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the explosion at 11:33am and sent rescuers to respond. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, it said. The National Fire
ACCOUNTABILITY: The incident, which occured at a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taichung, was allegedly caused by a gas explosion on the 12th floor Shin Kong Group (新光集團) president Richard Wu (吳昕陽) yesterday said the company would take responsibility for an apparent gas explosion that resulted in four deaths and 26 injuries at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store in Taichung yesterday. The Taichung Fire Bureau at 11:33am yesterday received a report saying that people were injured after an explosion at the department store on Section 3 of Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯). It sent 56 ambulances and 136 paramedics to the site, with the people injured sent to Cheng Ching Hospital’s Chung Kang Branch, Wuri Lin Shin Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital or Chung
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘LAWFUL USE’: The last time a US warship transited the Taiwan Strait was on Oct. 20 last year, and this week’s transit is the first of US President Donald Trump’s second term Two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait from Sunday through early yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, the first such mission since US President Donald Trump took office last month. The two vessels sailed south through the Strait, the ministry said, adding that it closely monitored nearby airspace and waters at the time and observed nothing unusual. The ministry did not name the two vessels, but the US Navy identified them as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch. The ships carried out a north-to-south transit from