The U.S. and China should not try to gain their respective strategic chips by sacrificing Taiwan's interests
China has recently made incessant use of the opportunities of diplomatic and international cooperation dialogue to defame and discredit Taiwan's planned referendum on its bid to join the United Nations (UN), as well as to coerce the United States, Japan, European Union and other countries into wrongly criticizing and making false accusations against democratic activities in Taiwan. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) solemnly indicates that such manipulation of international politics by China to win international recognition for its "one China" principle and its peremptory suppression against Taiwan are the main factors that have created regional tensions and sabotaged harmonious cross-strait relations. Under such circumstances, there is a steadily increasing dissatisfaction with China among the Taiwanese people.
The MAC indicates that since this year, China has continued to seek cooperation with the U.S. in an attempt to suppress Taiwan's efforts in promoting a UN referendum campaign, leading the U.S. to misinterpret Taiwan’s UN bid and the future development of the cross-strait situation. Moreover, the several statements issued by U.S. officials regarding the democratic operations in Taiwan have seriously hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people. The MAC believes that if the U.S., a long-time ally of the democratic values of Taiwan, echoes Beijing by sacrificing Taiwan as a tool for settling disputes over recent incidents, such as those involving the U.S.’s most famous aircraft carrier, the Kitty Hawk as well as the Dalai Lama’s U.S. visit, it will cause the government and people of Taiwan to express regret.
The MAC solemnly reiterates that Taiwan is an independent sovereign country that has never been a part of the People's Republic of China. It is a clear and indisputable fact that Taiwan and China have no jurisdiction over each other. The holding of a planned referendum on Taiwan’s UN bid is to reflect the fact that the 23 million Taiwanese people hope to highlight their collective will through the democratic process, so that the international community can understand China's peremptory actions that are aimed at imposing political isolation on the Taiwanese people. The democratic referendum of this kind is aimed at refusing China’s annexation of Taiwan and safeguarding the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, rather than changing the cross-strait status quo. As President Chen Shui-bian stated a few days ago, China’s vicious mischaracterization of the referendum on Taiwan’s UN bid as "de jure Taiwan independence" is an attempt to trump up charges condemning Taiwan. The Taiwanese government urges that the U.S. government and other members of the international community should not dance to China's tune, nor should they aid China's "hegemonic rise" by sacrificing the interests of the Taiwanese people.
Regarding the comments likely to be made by U.S. officials later tonight on Taiwan's democratic activities, the MAC urges the U.S. government to clearly fathom and firmly oppose China's hegemonic intentions in the region, as well as to face up to the threats posed by China to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the likelihood of China’s annexation of Taiwan by military force. China’s such intentions run entirely counter to its "harmonious development" rhetoric and have triggered suspicion among neighboring countries. They are also disadvantageous to the strategic interests of the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. should listen closely to what China says and, even more, observe what China does.
The MAC hopes that the U.S. will respect the value of Taiwan's existence and maintain its long-term benign and cooperative relationship with Taiwan in the spheres of democratic development and economic and trade interactions. Moreover, the MAC hopes the U.S. will support the efforts of the Taiwanese people, respect Taiwan's democracy, and cooperate with Taiwan to jointly promote the peaceful and stable development of the cross-strait situation. It is hoped that the U.S. will avoid being repeatedly misled by China; otherwise, autocratic China will even more brazenly suppress and threaten democratic Taiwan.