The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday urged Beijing to refrain from unilaterally interpreting Taiwanese expectations of cross-strait relations to avoid misjudging the situation after China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said that the results from Saturday’s elections reflected the majority’s hopes of benefiting from peaceful ties.
The nine-in-one local elections and 10 referendums held alongside them were an internal affair, and their results are a testament to the mature development of democratic politics, the council said.
“This is at the core of Taiwan’s democratic value, something Beijing should respect and understand accurately,” it said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
“It [China] should neither interfere in our internal affairs, nor unilaterally interpret Taiwanese expectations. Doing so could lead to a misjudgement of cross-strait situations,” the council said.
Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) yesterday said the results, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) winning 15 out of the 22 cities and counties, were an indicator that most people in Taiwan hope to continue enjoying the benefits that the peaceful development of cross-strait relations could bring.
The KMT only won six cities and counties in the 2014 elections.
“We will continue to adhere to the 1992 consensus, staunchly oppose pro-independence separatist forces and activities, and unite the people of Taiwan and bring them on the path of peaceful development of cross-strait ties,” Ma said in Beijing.
More city-to-city exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait on the basis of a “correct perception of the nature of cross-strait relations and city-to-city exchanges” would be welcomed, he said.
Ma also took a swipe at the initiator of a referendum seeking to rename Taiwan’s Olympic team, saying that its failure showed that it was an unpopular attempt to put the rights of Taiwanese athletes at stake and that the pro-independence movement is doomed to fail.
The referendum only received 4,763,086 “yes” votes, or 24.11 percent of eligible voters. A total of 5,774,556 voted “no.”
“The government has maintained a consistent stance to safeguard the peaceful and stable status quo of the Taiwan Strait and our national sovereignty. This is a consensus shared by the people of Taiwan and the expectation of the international community,” the council said, urging Beijing to face the cross-strait reality pragmatically.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and Beijing that both sides acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The Democratic Progressive Party administration has refused to acknowledge the consensus.
EMBRACE CHANGE: Jensen Huang told NTU graduates that instead of worrying about AI itself, they should worry that people with expertise in AI would be taking their jobs Artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the computer industry, and Taiwanese companies could play a major role in replacing the world’s traditional computers as they are the foundation of the industry, Nvidia Corp cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said in Taipei yesterday. Huang made the remarks while giving the keynote speech at National Taiwan University’s (NTU) commencement ceremony. AI has created immense opportunities, and versatile companies can be expected to take advantage and boost their position, while less flexible firms would perish, he said. “In every way, this is a rebirth of the computer industry and a golden opportunity for the companies of
‘ARCHAIC’: An interpretation of a law that considered Chinese as Taiwanese nationals was scrapped after the death of a Chinese in Kaohsiung led to state reparations An administrative mandate to consider Chinese as Taiwanese citizens was outdated, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, a day after the Executive Yuan ordered that agencies disregard the 30-year-old interpretation. Chen made the remarks at an event held by the Environmental Protection Administration in Taipei following changes to the administrative mandate concerning the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例). The previous interpretation of the law was archaic and contrary to the workings of laws and regulations, he said, adding that the order was made to avoid unnecessary problems created by the mandate. The Mainland
NOT BUYING IT: One of the goals of Beijing’s Cross-Strait Media People Summit was to draw mainstream media executives to discuss the ‘one country, two systems’ formula Taiwanese news media insist on press freedom and professionalism, and would never become a tool of China’s “united front” campaign, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, responding to media queries about the lack of Taiwanese media executives at the Cross-Strait Media People Summit in Beijing. Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) was reportedly furious that no Taiwanese media representatives attended a scheduled meeting with him on Thursday last week. “Beijing should take Taiwan’s determination to pursue freedom and democracy seriously. We also hope that it will not use vicious means to interfere with Taiwan’s development into a
IMMIGRATION REFORM: The legislative amendments aim to protect the rights of families to reunify, and to attract skilled professionals to stay and work in Taiwan Foreigners who are highly skilled professionals, top-prize winners in professional disciplines, investment immigration applicants or have made special contributions to Taiwan can soon apply for permanent residency on behalf of their spouses and minor or disabled children after the legislature approved amendments to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法). The amendments, which were proposed by the Ministry of the Interior and approved by the Executive Yuan on Jan. 12, aim to attract foreign talent to Taiwan and encourage them to stay. They would take effect once they are signed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The amendments involved changing 63 articles, making it the biggest
RSS