The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it deeply regrets that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) echoed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one China” principle and “united front” tactics by telling the Straits Forum that Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration.”
The 17th annual Straits Forum yesterday opened in Xiamen, China, and while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local government heads were absent for the first time in 17 years, Ma attended the forum as “former KMT chairperson” and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧).
Wang said the Straits Forum is an important platform for expanding civil exchanges and deepening integrated development across the Taiwan Strait.
Photo courtesy of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation
Over the past few years, many challenges have been overcome to hold the forum, demonstrating the bloodline and kinship of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and that no force can stop their willingness to exchange, he said.
“Mr. Ma Ying-jeou” is well-known for having national sentiment, agreeing that people on both sides of the Strait are Chinese, being committed to the so-called “1992 consensus,” opposing Taiwanese independence, and being a pro-unification patriot in Taiwan who continues to strive for the nation’s unification and the rejuvenation of the Zhonghua minzu (中華民族, Chinese ethnic group), he said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former MAC chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Ma said no political force can suppress or block the genuine exchanges between people on both sides of the Strait, nor cut off the natural emotions of “Chinese people on both sides of the Strait.”
The key to the development of future cross-strait relationships lies in the common aspiration of the people, he said.
Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration,” he said, adding that he looks forward to both sides of the Strait further deepening cooperation on the foundations of the “1992 consensus” and “anti-independence,” replacing confrontation with exchanges and conflict with negotiation, and do everything possible to avoid a war.
The MAC said it is a generally accepted fact that the Straits Forum is part of the CCP’s “united front” platform, and since the government has repeatedly reminded the public of the CCP’s political intentions, attendance of local government officials and representatives from various sectors has significantly declined.
The MAC said it deeply regrets that Ma, a former president, echoed the CCP’s “one China” principle and “1992 consensus” ideologies, and “united front” operations at the forum.
Ma has become disoriented and expressed an opinion that is completely different from the Taiwanese public’s understanding of cross-strait relations and their stance of maintaining the “status quo,” it said.
Anyone from Taiwan attending exchange events in China should uphold Taiwan’s sovereign dignity and the interests of Taiwanese, it added.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
DEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire support Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario simulated an attack on Penghu County, with HIMARS trucks immediately rolling into designated launch areas and firing barrages at the Wangan (望安) and Cimei (七美) islands, simulating the provision of fire support against invading forces. The HIMARS are supposed to “fire and leave,” which would significantly increase personnel and equipment survivability, a military official said. The drill simulated an exercise launched by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern
RSS