China is likely to continue increasing its intimidation of Taiwan while expending “united front” efforts through cognitive warfare, a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) report said yesterday.
The First-Quarter Report on the Situation in Mainland China cited Chinese Communist Party (CCP) No. 4 official Wang Huning (王滬寧) as saying at a meeting last week that China is to fully implement its “overall strategy” on Taiwan issues.
The strategy refers to what Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) said during the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s National Committee meeting and National People’s Congress in March that the CCP would firmly adhere to the “one China” principle and the so-called “1992 consensus,” resolutely opposing foreign interference and Taiwanese independence, the report said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The report said that Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang (秦剛) has said that Taiwanese independence forces are incompatible with peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Chinese agencies including the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National People’s Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, the Taiwan Work Office of the CCP’s Central Committee and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense issued statements on April 6 criticizing President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) April 5 meeting in the US with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The Taiwan Work Office and the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) sanctioned Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), the Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats on April 7, the report added.
Beijing conducted three days of combat readiness patrols and “United Sword” operations around Taiwan from April 8, and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce launched an investigation into Taiwan’s trade restrictions on 2,455 Chinese products on April 12, it said.
China is intensifying its “united front” campaign, the report said, citing TAO Director Song Tao’s (宋濤) frequent meetings with Taiwanese to call for adherence to the “one China” principle and the “1992 consensus.”
The TAO lifted a ban on imports of fresh chilled beltfish and frozen Atlantic horse mackerel from Taiwan on March 15, and on April 1 removed requirements for a negative polymerase chain reaction test result within 48 hours before departure for cross-strait flight passengers, the report said.
China is also working to consolidate its “one China” framework internationally, it said.
Xi last month telling French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that “expecting China to compromise on the Taiwan issue is wishful thinking” is an example of Beijing’s effort to strengthen its “one China” framework on the global stage, it said.
Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Wang Yi (王毅) in February said that Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times and would never become a country, the report said.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former MAC chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit agreement between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the CCP that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The Democratic Progressive Party has never acknowledged the existence of the “1992 consensus” or “one China” consensus.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS