Beijing’s “one China” principle does not allow room for the Republic of China (ROC) to survive, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday.
The council issued the remarks after China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) earlier in the day told a routine news conference that President William Lai’s (賴清德) Taiwanese independence stance was a grave provocation against the so-called “one China” principle and must be punished.
INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Photo: CNA
Lai’s recent remarks expressing his government’s commitment to protecting human rights and deepening the nation’s democratic constitutional order align with the consensus of Taiwanese and the international community, the MAC said.
Beijing has no standing to comment on another sovereign nation’s internal affairs and should abandon its efforts to impose a Chinese political agenda on the Taiwanese public through military intimidation or economic coercion, it said.
The political mainstream in Taiwan has time and again rejected Beijing’s “one China” principle and the so-called “1992 consensus” as threats to national existence fabricated unilaterally by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it said.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
In his speech at the presidential inauguration, Lai vowed to uphold the continuity of Taiwan’s foreign policy, with former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) “four commitments” being its guiding principle, MAC said.
The term refers to Taiwan’s commitment to maintaining a free and democratic constitutional system, that Taiwan and China are not subodinate to each other, protecting Taiwanese sovereignty and ensuring the right of Taiwanese alone to determine their future.
DIALOGUE
As Taiwan and China share a mutual responsibility to maintain peace, stability and the “status quo,” the two sides across the Strait must set aside their differences to engage in an open dialogue without setting preconditions, the MAC said.
Beijing should accept the political reality and respect the political mainstream in Taiwan by returning to constructive talks that emphasize building goodwill, mutual trust and positive feedback, the council said.
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