February 13, 2016
No. 20
In response to US scholars’ comments on the ROC’s Mainland policy brought up at a recent hearing held by the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, the MAC issued a statement today (February 13, 2016) stating that, since 2008, the government has maintained the cross-strait status quo of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" under the ROC Constitution framework, worked to safeguard national dignity and the public's well-being, and consolidated peace in the Taiwan Strait and the cross-strait status quo. This sound and pragmatic policy position has won broad support and affirmation both domestically and abroad, including that of the US government.
The MAC stressed that all major party candidates proposed views consistent with the government's current policy of maintaining the status quo prior to the presidential election, and the general consensus reached post-election is that cross-strait relations and the government’s policies were not key factors affecting presidential election outcomes. Democratic Progressive Party Secretary-General Joseph Wu expressed the same view during his visit to the US after the election. It is believed that, the government's policy priorities over the past eight years have strived to improve the people's livelihood and economic development and has not blindly promoted political negotiations without a domestic consensus.
The MAC stated that the 23 cross-strait agreements signed over the past eight years have helped to promote positive cross-strait interaction and exchanges, and its peace dividends have also spilled over to Taiwan's international participation. Taiwan's cumulative US$571.4 billion trade surplus with mainland China during this eight-year period has also been a driving force for Taiwan’s economic development. The MAC stresses that maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait is the shared responsibility of the two sides; all sectors should pragmatically promote "reconciliation, peace and cooperation" in cross-strait relations on the basis of achievements reached through interaction over the years.