President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) called for patience and persistence in the development of cross-strait relations yesterday, the 20th anniversary of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), and pledged to promote relations across the Taiwan Strait while prioritizing Taiwan’s interests.
Addressing a ceremonial event in celebration of the anniversary, Ma, a former chairman of the council, said the cross-strait policies of his administration were aimed at creating a win-win situation and a virtuous cycle for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, which required patience, love and persistence while seeking consensus and solving disputes.
Taiwan-China relations have changed a lot during the past three decades. Former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) declared his “three noes” policy of “no contact, no compromise, no negotiation” when the US normalized relations with China in 1979. Last year, under the Ma government, more than 1 million Chinese tourists visited Taiwan, while more than 260,000 Chinese spouses were living in Taiwan.
Ma yesterday said his China policy, which advocates cross-strait detente and forging exchanges with China based on the so-called “1992 consensus,” has taken Taiwan on the right track, which he said were evidenced by -relaxed tensions across the Strait.
He also stressed his administration’s continuous efforts to maintain the “status quo” through his own “three noes” under the framework of the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution. Ma’s “three noes” refer to no discussion of unification with Beijing during Ma’s presidency, no pursuit of, or support for, de jure Taiwanese independence and no use of force to resolve cross-strait disputes.
Ma said Taiwan and China had signed 15 reciprocal agreements after six rounds of cross-strait negotiations with dignity. The signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) further built a systematic mechanism for cross-strait economic relations, he added.
“Mainland China is the second largest economy in the world, and whether we like it or not, we must determine a model of cooperation that is acceptable for both sides to allow Taiwan to fully bring out its strengths,” he said at the Joint Central Government Office Building.
He instructed the council to look beyond the commodity and service industry trade agreements that the government plans to sign with Beijing during the next round of cross-strait talks and present policies that will help increase Taiwan’s international competitiveness as regional and global economic situations have rapidly changed.
“I am glad to see that our cross-strait policies eased tensions across the Taiwan Strait, but that doesn’t mean that we are giving up on national defense. We will maintain our national defense ability, and the goal is to prevent a war rather than provoking one,” he said.
Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), MAC Minister Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) and former MAC chiefs, including Su Chi (蘇起), Chang King-yuh (張京育) and Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), attended the celebration event.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who served as an MAC chairperson during the former DPP administration, however, did not show up at the event, ending speculation about a possible meeting between her and Ma.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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