China’s coercion of Taiwanese businesses and organizations is not helpful to cross-strait relations and Beijing should lift its sanctions against them, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
China put two Taiwanese non-profit organizations and several companies on a “secessionist” blacklist a day after then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan for a visit in August last year.
Sanctions have been imposed on the Taiwan Democracy Foundation and the International Cooperation and Development Fund, which are both affiliated with the ministry, as well as their alleged donors — Speedtech Energy, Hyweb Technology, Skyla Corp and Skyeyes GPS Technology.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
The funds and the companies were banned from engaging in any transactions or cooperating with organizations, enterprises or people in China.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) on Thursday said that the sanctions against Skyla Corp were lifted as it had publicly acknowledged the so-called “1992 consensus” and taken an “anti-secession” stance.
Chen said that Skyla Corp “fully understood its mistakes and expressed the correct position on cross-strait relations.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
In a statement the ministry urged Beijing to acknowledge that Taiwan and China do not belong to each other and to lift sanctions against all Taiwanese companies and organizations.
“The behavior is not conducive to cross-strait relations, but only highlights the irrational and absurd nature of the communist regime,” the statement said.
It condemned China for ignoring the universal values of freedom, democracy and sustainable development in its use of political power to coerce Taiwanese organizations and companies. Beijing frequently uses its “united front” tactics to coerce Taiwanese businesses into submitting to its demands, it said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office is interfering with free trade between private entities on the pretext of unreasonable political excuses, which completely runs counter to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it added.
The funds are dedicated to promoting democratic development and international cooperation around the globe, while Speedtech Energy and Hyweb Technology are private companies that are committed to practicing corporate social responsibility, the statement said.
China has weaponized its economy and trade with inappropriate sanctions against individuals, organizations, companies and nations, which have caused international outrage, the ministry said in a separate statement.
In addition, by implementing its updated anti-espionage legislation, Beijing has attempted to coerce, intimidate and retaliate against other nations, organizations and individuals with made-up charges, which is “unacceptable to any civilized country,” it said.
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