The key to maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait lies in the hands of China, while reiterating her administration’s willingness to engage in “meaningful dialogue” with Beijing on equal terms, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Commenting on cross-strait relations during a national security meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Tsai said Taipei is always willing to push for meaningful cross-strait dialogue on the basis of equal footing “as long as Beijing is willing to resolve antagonisms.”
Taiwan also hopes that once the COVID-19 pandemic is properly contained, people on both sides of the Strait can resume normal exchanges, she said in a press release issued by the Presidential Office.
Photo: AP
However, maintaining cross-strait peace is not the responsibility of Taiwan alone, as “the key also lies in the hands of China,” she said.
“History has shown that flexing military muscles toward Taiwan will do little to help improve cross-strait relations,” she said, referring to China’s continuous deployment of military aircraft in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and across the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
As the Chinese-speaking world is about to celebrate the annual Lunar New Year holiday, Tsai also wished Chinese citizens a happy new year, while calling on both sides to jointly promote cross-strait peace and stability.
Taiwan’s relations with its most important ally, the US, have remained solid despite the change in US administrations last month, she said.
Her national security team will be working closely with US President Joe Biden’s administration to enhance bilateral exchanges on various fronts, especially on trade, she said.
Beijing has taken a hardline stance on cross-strait relations and cut off dialogue with Taiwan since Tsai took office in May 2016 and refused to accept the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
However, the Democratic Progressive Party has contended that the consensus is “a mere illusion” because China does not recognize the idea that each side is free to interpret “one China” as it sees fit.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS