President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he would make the people, peace and democracy the priorities in his efforts to develop cross-strait relations.
In the process of improving cross-strait relations and pursuing peace across the Taiwan Strait, Ma said, the government would defend the nation’s dignity and sovereignty under the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution.
“We will maintain the ‘status quo’ of no unification, no independence and no use of force, and push for cross-strait exchanges under the 1992 consensus,” he said at an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), the semiofficial body used to hold negotiations with China.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ma said that based on their respective Constitutions, Taiwan and China did not recognize each other and that both sides of the Taiwan Strait addressed cross-strait issues based on the so-called “mutual non-denial” principle — the most important foundation for the realization of peace across the Strait.
“Mutual non-denial is probably the most important foundation that can explain the current cross-strait situation and lead to peaceful cross-strait relations,” he said. “All the political parties should recognize this political reality to create a new path for the 23 million people [of Taiwan].”
Ma first proposed the term “mutual non-denial” during his presidential campaign in 2007. He said that as long as China and Taiwan could agree on the meaning of mutual non-denial, they would -automatically refer to the so-called “1992 consensus.”
He said he would make the public’s interest a priority as the government pursues exchanges with China and that he would never sacrifice the nation’s dignity and sovereignty in the name of peace.
Ma also vowed to make the process of cross-strait negotiations as transparent as possible by reporting the results of negotiations to the legislature.
The president also presented a posthumous honorary award to former SEF chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫) for his contributions in cross-strait relations. The award was accepted by his wife, Cecilia Koo (辜嚴倬雲).
In 1993, Koo and his Chinese counterpart, then-Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait chairman Wang Daohan (汪道涵), held historic talks in Singapore.
SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤) said cross-strait negotiations put the economy before politics and addressed easier issues. As negotiations enter a more difficult phase, the government would seek consensus with China on investment protection and dispute--settlement agreements in the next round of cross-strait talks, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS