Taiwan “resolutely” rejects Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula as a solution to cross-strait relations, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) again issued the call in his speech on China’s National Day, saying that Beijing would persist in its determination to “peacefully reunite [China and Taiwan] under ‘one country, two systems,’” and would “maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau.”
China would “push for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and continue to fight for the realization of the complete unification of the ‘motherland,’” Xi said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The “one country, two systems” formula is not suitable for Taiwan, the council said, calling instead on Beijing to implement democratic reforms to benefit its people.
The Republic of China (ROC) has been a sovereign nation for 108 years, and on Taiwan, it is has put democracy into practice and prospered, it said.
“Chinese authorities must realize what is an international fact: Taiwan has never for a second been a part of the People’s Republic of China,” it said.
By clinging to a one-party dictatorship for 70 years, the Chinese Communist Party has violated the democratic and human rights of its people, turning itself into a threat and a challenge to the nation’s sustained development, it said.
“Talking about ‘struggle’ and the ‘great rejuvenation and unification’ [of Chinese people] ... are just excuses for military expansion that threatens regional peace and stability,” it said.
The Taiwanese government will not waver in its protection of the nation’s sovereignty and democracy, and will never give in to threats or coercion, it said.
Democratic Progressive Party spokeswoman Hsueh Cheng-yi (薛呈懿) said that Taiwanese would never forget Xi’s threat of the use of force as an option to unify China and Taiwan.
The results of China’s “one country, two systems” can already be seen in Hong Kong, where public calls for democracy have been met with violent suppression, she said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said that it was regrettable that Xi appeared not to have noticed changes on both sides of the Taiwan Strait over the past nine months.
“The KMT does not support the ‘one country, two systems’ framework and disapproves of the way President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has attempted to equate it with the ‘1992 consensus,’” it said in a statement.
The KMT urges all parties to face the fact that the ROC and its Constitution exist, it said.
As a middle-of-the-road party, the KMT strictly adheres to the ROC Constitution in handling cross-strait affairs, it said.
In 1992, the KMT helped establish the cross-strait consensus of “one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what that means,” it said.
If the KMT is voted back into power, it would ensure peace and promote cross-strait exchanges based on the “1992 consensus,” as well as on its opposition to “one country, two systems” and Taiwanese independence, it said.
As the Double Ten National Day nears, the party urges all citizens to celebrate the day by displaying the ROC national flag, it said.
The New Power Party said that “it would be impossible for Taiwan to ever accept the ‘one country, two systems’ framework.”
Beijing should respect Taiwan’s sovereignty and stop its unrealistic fantasy and attempts at interference, the party said.
“Taiwan will not adopt the ‘one country, two systems’ with a country that has no respect for human rights,” NPP spokesman Chen Chih-ming (陳志明) said.
Taiwan will continue to work on establishing itself by championing human rights, freedom and rule law, he said.
Additional reporting by Yang Chun-hui
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
RSS