The only solution to cross-strait disputes lies in peace and democracy
With regard to the meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao on April 20, 2006, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) indicates that the only solution to cross-strait disputes lies in peace and democracy.
President Bush publicly stated that disputes between China and Taiwan must be resolved peacefully. This fully conforms to the stipulation of the United Nations Charter that peace is the only way to resolve international disputes. This is also consistent with the Taiwanese government’s policy. The MAC expresses its affirmation and gratitude toward President Bush’s gesture. Taiwan will continue to cooperate with the international community by exerting its utmost effort to preserve the status quo and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
China has rapidly expanded its military deployment in recent years despite not facing any external threat. This has resulted in high level of skepticism among the international community toward the rise of China. What’s more, China’s mass deployment of missiles and submarines has directly threatened the peace-loving people of Taiwan and countries in the region. In 2005, China even enacted the so-called “anti-separation law” (ASL), which authorized the use of non-peaceful means against Taiwan. China’s act has completely violated the international pledge that calls for peaceful resolution to disputes and seriously threatened peace in the Taiwan Strait. Today, in front of the people of the world, President Bush has personally reminded China’s leaders that they should peacefully resolve the cross-strait disputes. The Chinese authorities must deeply reflect on their actions. At the same time, in order to maintain peace and stability across the Strait and in the region, the MAC also earnestly urges the international community to show concern and condemn China for its use of military force to threaten its neighboring countries.
The status quo in the Taiwan Strait is that Taiwan and China have no jurisdiction over each other; Taiwan’s sovereignty belongs to the people of Taiwan and only its people have the right to decide their future. We do not exclude any possibility of developing any form of relationship with China in the future. However, since Taiwan is already a democratic country, any solution to the cross-strait disputes must be approved by the people of Taiwan through democratic processes. The Chinese leaders have engaged in intimidation by indicating that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory” and that “China will not allow anybody in Taiwan to separate Taiwan from China by any means.” The National People’s Congress (NPC) has even recently passed the Outline of the Eleventh Five-Year Development Program, in which cross-strait relations are stipulated as, “Taiwan is a sacred and inseparable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China.” These actions constitute serious threats that change the status quo across the Strait. The international community must voice serious concerns so that China will not misinterpret the situation and further take action to destroy the status quo, which is Taiwan and China have no jurisdiction over each other.
The political disputes between Taiwan and China have long existed and they are difficult to resolve, mainly due to the different systems on both sides. Taiwan has developed into a free and democratic country, while China’s decision-making process remains opaque and lacks a check and balance mechanism. China’s human rights violations and its control over the freedoms of speech, press, and religion have been criticized by the people of China as well as people in the international community. This is also why the Chinese government has always failed to understand the Taiwanese peoples’ unwavering determination to deepen and consolidate their democratic system. Based on broad perspective and long-term observation of future relationship between China and Taiwan, or even the development of China’s overall international relations, it is inevitable that China must soon conduct a second phase of reform and opening-up engineering project aimed at promoting freedom and democracy. This is the only way to witness real “peace and development” in China and for it to become a responsible member in the international community.
Providing assistance to China in its democratization is an established policy of the Taiwanese government. We will cooperate with the international community to achieve this goal. We express our deepest affirmation toward President Bush for his remarks on human rights and freedom in front of China’s leaders. We believe that the 1.3 billion people of China will express gratitude for President Bush’s remarks. We deeply believe that the further deepening and strengthening of Taiwan’s democracy and its success will become a beacon for the Chinese people’s fight for liberty and freedom. The MAC also urges the international community to demand the Chinese government to immediately lift the ban on newspapers and remove the obstacles that restrict the freedom of speech, as well as release the prisoners of conscience who have been detained and imprisoned by the Chinese authorities for their speech and ideologies. This is aimed at enabling the 1.3 billion people of China to live in freedom and democracy as enjoyed by the people of Taiwan.