MAC Press Release No. 15
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a solemn declaration today (October 28, 2021) to protest in response to a statement of mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) regarding President Tsai Ing-wen's exclusive interview with CNN. The MAC stated that the TAO maliciously distorted the facts, slandered Taiwan's achievements in the development of freedom and democracy, and produced other rhetoric to provoke opposition. The Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign and independent state. The 23 million people of Taiwan firmly defend our sovereignty, dignity, and democratic way of life. Beijing's attempts to expand its hegemony and coerce Taiwan are the sources of danger undermining the status quo of the Taiwan Strait and causing regional unrest.
The MAC indicated that President Tsai repeatedly emphasized in her National Day speech and during the CNN interview that Taiwan is resilient and will not yield. Taiwan has long resisted threats and challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and will never accept the path set by Beijing. The four commitments proposed by President Tsai signify Taiwan’s firm stance against threats and our greatest domestic consensus. The CCP presented the so-called "one China" syllogism, repeatedly attempting to mislead the international community, downgrade Taiwan, and obstruct Taiwan’s interaction with the world. Recently, the CCP has even intensified its military intimidation, which has been strongly opposed by the Taiwanese people and international community. The President firmly apprised the other side in the National Day speech that Taiwan will not allow our national sovereignty to be violated and our democratic society to be sabotaged and divided. The threats from the other side will never succeed.
The MAC stated that when an authoritarian regime demonstrates its ambitions of expansion, democracies should jointly defend their shared values. Taiwan and the US have long been important partners of regional security interests with shared values, and will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields in the future. The people of Taiwan are united at the forefront of the democratic community. We firmly reject the other side's illusive attempts to determine the future for Taiwan. With its inability to face the reality and the entirely unconstructive mindset, the TAO will only misjudge the situation and deepen the divide and cognitive difference between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.