The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday called on China to recognize the ROC in the interests of improving cross-strait relations.
"Improvements in cross-strait relations and creating a win-win situation for both sides is entirely up to China, [which must decide] whether it will make up its mind pragmatically to recognize the existence of the ROC," MAC Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (
The comments followed Vice President Annette Lu's (
"It is pretty normal for both the president and vice president of the ROC to visit other countries, because the ROC is a country with its own sovereignty," Chen said.
He said he was "frustrated" by recent Chinese actions to limit Taiwan's influence in the international community.
China established formal diplomatic relations with Nauru on July 21, the day President Chen Shui-bian (
"The Chinese authorities should reflect thoroughly on the fact that Taiwan has shown tremendous goodwill in the past two years, but unilateral efforts alone cannot improve cross-strait relations," Chen Ming-tong said.
However, Chen said, Taiwan's China policy remains unchanged. "We will push for cross-strait policies as scheduled."
When asked about the government's policy on direct cross-strait links with China, the MAC official said the government had not changed its stance on the matter and would continue to press for their establishment.
However, he said, establishing direct links requires negotiations, and talks would have to proceed under the premise of equality and national dignity. "We have to seek a way which is acceptable to both sides of the Taiwan Strait."
"As long as China is willing to sit down to have talks with Taiwan, we can talk about anything," he said.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
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