Efforts by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) to rewrite Koxinga’s “liberation” of Taiwan as having brought both sides of the Taiwan Strait under “one China” cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign country, the Mainland Affairs Council said on Wednesday.
Koxinga, also known as Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功), was a Ming Dynasty loyalist and military commander who in 1662 conquered Dutch-held Fort Zeelandia and established the capital of his renegade kingdom in Tainan, as a base of operations against the Qing empire.
Events marking Cheng’s liberation of Taiwan 360 years ago were held in Chiayi County and Nanan City, China, on Tuesday, with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) attending the event in Taiwan and TAO Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) attending the event in China.
Photo: Wu Shu-wei, Taipei Times
Chinese media quoted Liu as telling the Nanan City event that he hoped “Taiwanese compatriots would engage themselves toward the goal of unification.”
TAO spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) told a news briefing on Wednesday that Koxinga was a hero worshiped on both sides of the Strait for having “liberated Taiwan,” upholding the dignity of the Zhonghua minzu (中華民族, Chinese ethnic group), and favoring the Zhonghua minzu by protecting their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The MAC said that Taiwan is a sovereign state and has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China.
No matter what “united front” rhetoric or method the Chinese Communist Party uses, both sides of the Strait belonging to “one China” is an illusion and cannot change the facts, the council said.
The council accused the KMT of participating in China’s “united front” tactic on Tuesday, and urged Taiwanese to cherish their hard-won democracy and freedoms.
Taiwanese should be aware that China seeks to divide Taiwan from within, the council added.
The MAC warned Taiwanese and civic groups to watch out for Chinese “united front” rhetoric at cross-strait events, and to abide by the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) so that the nation’s interests are not harmed.
No citizen or group should participate in discussions or events on “democratic negotiations” or a “one country, two systems” model, which have been promoted by Beijing, the council said, adding that it is closely monitoring Chinese activities promoting “united rhetoric.”
The council said it would take action against people found to have contravened the law.
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