Date: February 10, 2020
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) sternly protested the recent military provocations against Taiwan by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as well as the vile comments made by mainland China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taiwan Affairs Office, criticizing the government of the Republic of China (ROC). It is Taiwan's right to engage in normal cooperation and exchanges with other countries and the international community. The 23 million people of Taiwan are undaunted by threats and will firmly defend the sovereignty of the ROC and democracy in Taiwan. The CCP has repeatedly misjudged the situation amidst seeking pretexts to shift focus away from its missteps in Taiwan-related work. This is an unwise move at this time.
As the public is greatly unsettled by the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic in mainland China and the CCP's ability to handle the outbreak severely challenged, Beijing’s most urgent task is to focus on epidemic prevention and control as well as to take care of the people’s needs. Provocations by PLA warships and planes which have frequented the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait in recent years to seek unification through military force gravely undermine the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and heighten regional tensions. At this juncture in cross-Strait developments and epidemic prevention, the Beijing authorities should focus on preventing the spread of the epidemic and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should establish cooperation and communication. The MAC therefore admonished the other side of the Strait to immediately stop its armed confrontation, for inciting nationalism at home to shift public focus away from challenges at hand is a game not worth the candle.