June 3, 2015
No. 28
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement today (June 3, 2015) concerning the 26th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Incident. It stated that, voices rose in the call for freedom and democracy at the Tiananmen Square in the Mainland twenty-six years ago, calls of which still remain as the Mainland people’s common aspiration today. Mainland authorities should squarely face the historical fact and important message of the Tiananmen Square Incident. With wisdom, courage and generosity, they should proactively respond to the people's demands, promote harmony by reconciliation, and carry out reforms with determination.
At the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee last year, the Mainland proposed to abide by law in protecting the people's personal rights, property rights and basic political rights from violation. The MAC affirms this and calls for Chinese authorities to carry out political reforms, respect different opinions, and treat human rights activists with kindness. These are all actions crucial to deepening reforms in the Mainland and are also fundamental in enhancing social harmony and stability and improving the people’s well being.
The MAC stressed that over the past seven-plus years, the ROC government has, through institutionalized cross-strait negotiations, official interaction and exchanges, and dialogue in various fields, spread the values of human rights protection, democratic pluralism and respect for freedom and other universal values, and has laid a solid foundation for long-term cross-strait development. The two sides should continue to encourage each other and improve on this foundation so that the whole ethnic Chinese group may jointly share the core values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and human rights, and thus further sustain peaceful and prosperous development across the Taiwan Strait.