The promotion of a public referendum on seeking membership in the United Nations under the name of "Taiwan" enjoys strong public support in Taiwan. The Chinese authorities should cease their untruthful tarnishing of Taiwan's democracy as soon as possible.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) emphasized again today (June 13, 2007) that the Chinese authorities are not only reluctant to face the reality that Taiwan and China have no jurisdiction over each other, but have also disregarded the mainstream thinking of the Taiwanese people toward the pursuit of democratic deepening. Moreover, the Chinese authorities have been ignorant of the normal operation of democratic politics, thus making irresponsible criticism and comments about the process of democratic deepening in Taiwan frequently. The rigid and closed mindset of the Chinese authorities is the major obstacle that has not only step-by-step alienated public feelings on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but has also hindered the normal development of cross-strait relations.
The MAC indicated that Taiwan is an independent sovereign country and an indispensably important member of the international community. However, China has long excluded Taiwan's 23 million people from participating in major international organizations and the international arena based on absurd reasons. The Taiwanese government is actively promoting a public referendum on applying for membership in the United Nations (UN) under the name of "Taiwan," which has won support from nearly 80 percent of the Taiwanese people. The MAC calls on the Chinese authorities to discard their over-politicized mode of thinking, cease their untruthful tarnishing of Taiwan's democracy, and face up to the Taiwanese people’s efforts to deepen democracy. Past experience clearly demonstrates that China’s any attempts to undermine or interfere with Taiwan's democratic development are ultimately bound to produce an effect opposite to what Beijing desires.
Regarding the Beijing Olympic torch relay route through Taiwan, China has announced that it will hold another round of negotiations with Taiwan, yet to date it has not taken any action. The MAC reiterated that as long as China can concretely show sincerity and offer a resolution plan, Taiwan is willing to conduct negotiations with China on the Olympic torch relay route through Taiwan as soon as possible. The MAC emphasized that in order to safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, the Taiwanese government will engage in cross-strait negotiations on the Olympic torch relay route under the principles of parity and reciprocity. Taiwan also expects that China, as the hosting country, should truly embody the spirit of peace and freedom advocated by the Olympic Games. This is the only way to ensure that the overall activities of the 2008 Olympic Games can be smoothly and successfully conducted.