The so-called “democratic consultation” is a tactic China uses to cheat Taiwanese into accepting its “one country, two systems” policy and destroy Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, adding that the government would not agree to such a proposal.
The consultation proposal was first advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a 2019 speech to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the “Message to Compatriots in Taiwan.”
The “democratic consultation” should be conducted through representatives recommended by political parties and all sectors on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and proceed on the common political foundation of upholding the “1992 consensus” and opposing Taiwan independence, Xi said.
Photo: China News Service via CNA
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Yang (汪洋) reiterated the proposal in his meeting with former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) on Saturday.
In response, the council said that Beijing is using the Winter Olympics to form a united front and spread political propaganda.
“It is also using meetings with Taiwanese politicians to promote its erroneous ‘one China’ principle and deceptive ‘democratic consultation,’ through which it attempts to reach the goal of ‘one country, two systems,’” the council said, adding that “the government is strongly against this proposal.”
“The public in Taiwan has never accepted China’s policy of belittling and attacking Taiwan and its proposed direction of cross-strait relations. Beijing does not have the right to comment or intervene in Taiwan’s future,” the council said.
People participating in cross-strait exchange events should beware of Chinese political operatives and adhere to regulations governing those exchanges, the council said, adding that they should uphold Taiwan’s national interests by not participating in “democratic consultations.”
A source within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said Taiwan and China lack the grounds to talk about unification or “democratic consultations” at this moment, adding that Taiwan is not capable of declaring independence either.
“To us, ‘one China’ means the Republic of China [Taiwan], we oppose any action that would hurt Taiwan’s sovereignty,” the KMT source said.
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 KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
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