Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Friday criticized President William Lai’s (賴清德) approach to cross-strait relations, which he said has raised concerns in the international community, in a speech to Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, where he spoke at length about cross-strait relations.
Ma, of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), said that during his time in office (2008 to 2016) he presided over a significant expansion of cross-strait agreements and dialogues, which has regressed during the administrations of his successors, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Lai, both of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Ma said his eight years in office are the best example of creating a “win-win situation for both sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
Photo courtesy of Ma Ying-jeou’s office
He also said that Lai’s “pro-independence stance,” especially the so-called “new two-state theory” implied by his statements on China and Taiwan, have raised concerns within US political, academic and business circles, leading to American Institute in Taiwan Chairwoman Laura Rosenberger visiting Taiwan to express concerns to the Lai administration.
The former president urged Lai 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) and the Republic of China Constitution in his handling of cross-strait relations.
Ma described how he took a group of 20 Taiwanese university students to Beijing in April to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), whose “attitude was very clear, gentle and humble” regarding cross-strait relations in that “as long as both sides recognize themselves as part of the Chinese nation, any issues can be discussed.”
This showed “Mr. Xi’s signal of goodwill and sincerity toward the people of Taiwan,” Ma said.
However, Lai failed to positively respond to this goodwill, which led to the large-scale Chinese military drills around Taiwan that China uses as a show of force, Ma said.
“Taiwan is not a pawn” Ma added, urging the US and other international parties to encourage cross-strait dialogue between China and Taiwan.
Ma said that cross-strait issues can only be resolved by Taiwan and China, without “interference” from foreign countries, as they are two parts of the same country
“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same Chinese nation and are descendants of Yan and Huang emperors,” he said.
“The DPP government needs to face reality: the United States is unlikely to sacrifice its own troops for Taiwan” and that war would be a “catastrophic burden for the Chinese nation,” he added.
In Taipei, an official who is familiar with foreign affairs issues and on condition of anonymity on Friday said that although Ma has made his stance on cross-strait engagement very public following his presidential term, his cross-strait discourse limits Taiwan by adhering to the “one China principle,” which does not align with mainstream public opinion in Taiwan.
It also runs counter to the international support for clarifying that UN Resolution 2758 does not establish the People’s Republic of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and does not determine the future status of Taiwan in the UN, the official said.
Lai has not formulated a new two-state theory and has abided by Taiwan’s existing legal framework, which clearly states that neither side of the Strait is subordinate to the other, the official added.
Lai has also repeatedly said that Taiwan remains committed to maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, upholding regional peace and continuing to be a responsible stakeholder in cross-strait relations, the official said.
Additional reporting by Chen Cheng-yu
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