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
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS