The Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state that is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan has never been ruled by the PRC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday stated in response to PRC President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) claim that “Taiwan is a sacred territory of China.”
Xi on Monday evening, the eve of the 75th anniversary of the PRC, made the claim in a speech delivered at a National Day reception banquet in Beijing.
He reiterated Beijing’s goal of achieving “reunification” with Taiwan, saying that it is inevitable and crucial for “fulfilling the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” which is “the hope of Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and all Chinese people.”
Photo: Taipei Times
“It is an irreversible trend, a matter of righteousness, and the common aspiration of the people,” Xi said. “No one can stop the march of history.”
“Taiwan is the sacred territory of China. Blood is thicker than water, and people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood, and these blood ties will always be stronger than others,” he said.
Xi also called for deepening economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan and encouraging the “spiritual harmony of compatriots on both sides,” while resolutely opposing “Taiwan independence” activities.
In Taipei yesterday, MOFA spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said the ministry’s stance is clear: “ROC Taiwan is a sovereign state, and it and the PRC are not subordinate to each other.”
“Taiwan has never been a part of the PRC, and the PRC has never ruled Taiwan, which is a fact and status quo generally acknowledged by the international community,” he said in response to media queries.
Regarding Xi’s remarks on promoting the “spiritual harmony of people on both sides of the Strait” and “placing the hope on Taiwanese,” Liu said that Taiwan’s more than 23 million people stand firm with the nation’s democratic constitutional system, and firmly believe that the ROC and the PRC are not subordinate to each other.
They also believe that the nation’s sovereignty is inviolable and unannexable, and that the ROC’s future must be determined by the will of the Taiwanese, he said.
“We call for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and request the international space we deserve and the legitimate right to participate in international organizations,” Liu said.
“We also hope that we will not experience interference when we cheer for Taiwan’s athletes in the Olympics,” he added.
Separately, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday also stated that the ROC is a sovereign state and that Taiwan has never been a part of the PRC.
That is the objective reality and the “status quo” of the Taiwan Strait, the council added.
The CCP uses its so-called “one China principle” and “1992 consensus” as the political precondition for cross-strait interaction, but it does not leave any “survival space” for the ROC, so it has been rejected by the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, the council said.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the then-ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the CCP that both sides of the Strait are part of “one China,” but with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Chen Fu-yu
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