Cross-strait relations can hopefully proceed with “constructive ambiguity,” given the right attitude from both sides, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said yesterday as he announced rules to allow business travelers from China to visit amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
If cross-strait exchanges must be founded on the premise that one side accepts the other’s framework, “then I think it is an unfair, unjust and unrealistic request,” Chiu told a news conference in Taipei.
Chiu was referring to Beijing’s insistence that Taipei accept its interpretation of the so-called “1992 consensus,” which it reiterated after he vowed to facilitate a thaw in cross-strait ties when he accepted the post last month.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former MAC 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 Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“I think the two sides can be more friendly and cooperative,” Chiu said. “There is no need to force yourself or others to enter into a set framework.”
“Finding the greatest common denominator” would benefit both sides and elicit the least controversy, he said.
However, whether the two could achieve constructive ambiguity “depends on the wisdom of both sides, and honestly, it also depends on their attitudes,” he said, referring to China.
It is thought to be the first time that a MAC minister has used the phrase “constructive ambiguity,” which has come to define US policy toward Taiwan since the time of former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.
Addressing Beijing, Chiu made three requests: the cessation of military threats; pragmatic dialogue; and a reciprocal effort toward developing cross-strait exchanges.
He urged Beijing to understand that Taiwan’s systems and values are different from China’s, and to view the development of cross-strait ties in a positive light.
Underlining his intent, Chiu announced an end to a ban on Chinese business travelers after more than a year of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Chinese businesspeople fulfilling contract obligations, as well as Chinese employed by multinationals slated for transfer, would be permitted entry upon approval by the Ministry of the Interior, he said.
The council made the decision in consultation with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and other agencies in a bid to facilitate cross-strait economic activity, he said.
Discussions are continuing on whether to resume travel for Chinese with family in Taiwan, as well as on border control adjustments, he said.
However, as the center does not yet list China as a medium-low or low-risk region, Chinese business travelers are not eligible for shortened quarantines, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
Like other travelers, they must provide a negative polymerase chain reaction test conducted within three days of departure for Taiwan, and undergo 14 days of quarantine followed by seven days of self-health management, Chuang said.
Aside from business travelers, Chinese nationals with Taiwanese residency, as well as their spouses and children, can enter Taiwan, in addition to students, and those with imperative family or health reasons.
Additional reporting by CNA
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
RSS