January 11, 2005, No. 008
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Jaushieh Joseph Wu received a US visiting delegation of the Committee of One Hundred this afternoon Jan. 11th, and stated the hope that there would be a breakthrough in the ongoing cross-strait preparation for the Lunar New Year charter flights. If the preparation were successful, it would serve as a foundation for further cross-strait negotiations in the future.
In his address, Chairman Wu explained to the visitors that China is enacting an Anti-Separation Law that would cause serious consequences on the cross-strait relations. Chairman Wu stated that for the Taiwanese people and government, the Anti-Separation Law is more severe and provocative than the previous “Reunification Law,” because the Anti-Separation Law defines both sides of the Strait as already unified. China views both sides of the Strait as belonging to the same country and deems Taiwan as a part of China. It disregards the fact that each side of the Strait has been governed separately and does not have jurisdiction over each other since 1949.
Chairman Wu believes that the international community should jointly prevent China from enacting this Law, to avoid its unilaterally changing of the cross-strait status quo, as well as to avoid jeopardizing the peace and stability across the Strait. He hopes that the members of the delegation would grab every opportunity to help make Taiwan’s voice heard in the international arena, and unequivocally tell the Mainland Chinese authorities that this course of action would only cause the people on both sides of the Strait to drift further apart.
Chairman Wu also said that peace and development across the Strait is the joint responsibility of both sides. We especially hope that China would resume dialogues and negotiations with Taiwan, and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Wang Daohan will visit Taiwan to attend the late Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Dr. Koo Chen-fu’s memorial service. It is also hoped that the meeting between President Chen Shui-bian and President Hu Jintao will materialize. Chairman Wu pointed out that the accumulated goodwill gradually extended by both sides of the Strait would transform into a dynamic energy that would break the deadlock and lead to closer cross-strait relations.
Chairman Wu also said that it was regrettable that the Hong Kong government refused the visa application of Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou. The MAC has exerted its utmost effort over this matter, but was still unable to change the outcome, and therefore it would wage a serious protest against the Hong Kong SAR government. The visiting delegation headed by Committee Chairman C. B. Sung, is also visiting Hong Kong and China. The atmosphere of the forty-minute meeting with Chairman Wu was friendly.
The MAC pointed out that the chief authorities on both sides clearly understand that the materialization of charter flights rests on the negotiations between representatives authorized by both sides. Based on the principles of mutual respect and pragmatic dialogue, we hope that both sides will resume negotiations as soon as possible and make all the necessary preparation.