The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday called for “reason and self-restraint” following reports that Beijing would increase its defense spending by 7.2 percent this year.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army continued to increase defense spending and expressed aggressiveness with its combat preparedness patrols near Taiwan, the MAC said in a news release.
China’s military drills in the seas off Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand and Australia have compromised navigational safety and raised tension in the region, sparking international concern, it said.
Photo: Reuters
The government would not bow to pressure, and it would maintain its firm resolve to defend national sovereignty and security, the MAC said.
The MAC urged Beijing to exercise reason and self-restraint, engage in dialogue to solve issues with Taiwan, and be a responsible actor in maintaining peace and prosperity in the region, it said.
It also said the Chinese government’s latest report on its stance toward Taiwan in a top-level political conference remained largely the same as official statements from last year.
Taiwanese officials continue to closely monitor the dual meeting of the Chinese National People’s Congress and National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the MAC said in a news release.
The statement came hours after Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強) said China would “firmly advance” the push for so-called “reunification” while opposing external interference and striving to work with Taiwanese to realize the Chinese nation’s rejuvenation.
In his work report last year, Li reiterated a call for “reunification” with Taiwan, but added emphasis that it wants to “be firm” in doing so and did not use the word “peaceful,” which was included in previous reports. His comment yesterday echoed that.
Tamkang University professor of diplomacy and international relations Chang Wu-ueh (張五岳) said 90 percent of this year’s report was identical to last year’s.
The only significant changes from the report’s past editions were the emphasis on making a stronger push toward “reunification” and references to the US-China technology and trade war, Chang said.
The Chinese government’s work reports have never been the platform for announcing important changes in its policy stance on Taiwan, he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) comments in the months following the conferences would indicate more about Beijing’s Taiwan policy, he said.
Xi is likely to be reserving meaningful announcements — if there are any — for the post-conference small-group discussions, his potential meeting with US President Donald Trump or the 20th anniversary of China’s “Anti-Secession” Law, Chang said.
Beijing rarely uses the dual conferences as a venue to introduce its policies about Taiwan, Central Police University associate professor Wang Chih-sheng (王智盛) said.
The conferences are meant to address domestic issues such as the economy and social stability with Li “merely playing the same old tune” on matters concerning Taiwan-China relations, he said.
Chinese officials’ meeting on Taiwan work, which took place before the conferences, was more relevant to Taiwan, he said.
The statements made during that meeting suggest that Beijing’s strategy is to place an increasing importance on influencing young people in Taiwan by presenting China as a place of economic opportunities, he added.
A Taiwanese senior official familiar with the matter told Reuters that Beijing’s tone had not changed much, signaling that the nation was not a priority for China compared with its economy and relations with the US.
“They want to reiterate their agenda of the big exchange across the strait,” the unnamed official was quoted as saying, adding that a paragraph on Taiwan indicated a ramping up of China’s bid to co-opt Taiwanese through various exchanges including cultural and religious events.
“But they only allow cross-strait exchanges that serve their political agenda and block those who do not,” they were quoted as saying. “It is obvious that those exchanges are just political means.”
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