MAC: China must take responsibility for changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) solemnly indicates today (February 26, 2006) that China has steadily increased its military budget at a double-digit rate over the past decade, as well as continually expanding military deployment against Taiwan. In fact, such concrete actions have made an utter mockery of the Chinese leadership's rhetoric of the so-called “dedicated pursuit of peace.” Last March, the Chinese authorities went even further by passing the so-called “anti-separation law.” The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has not only unilaterally denied the reality of the Republic of China’s (ROC) existence through its law, but it has also dictated that "unification" is the "legal obligation and sacred duty of the people of Taiwan." Since 2000, Beijing's extremely barbaric actions have seriously eroded the foundation for cross-strait peace. China has step-by-step pushed ahead toward its goal of unilaterally changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
The MAC solemnly states that the Chinese authorities have completely disregarded the Taiwanese government’s diligent efforts in recent years to maintain peace and stability across the Strait. On the one hand, China has resorted to various means of downgrading and defaming the Taiwanese government. On the other hand, China has attempted to conceal its annihilating actions of the ROC through various lip services. The Chinese authorities have repeatedly and seriously provoked the status quo in the Strait, denied the fact of the ROC’s existence, and restricted the Taiwanese people’s rights to self-rule. Such actions have not only seriously undermined the development of cross-strait relations, but have also hurt the Taiwanese people’s feelings. Moreover, they have threatened peace and stability in the East Asia region.
In response to the statement issued by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, the MAC solemnly reiterates that the Republic of China is an independent sovereign state. The ROC and the PRC have no jurisdiction over each other. The Taiwanese government firmly insists that any change to the current independent sovereignty and the future of Taiwan must be approved by the 23 million Taiwanese people. China has no authority to interfere or restrict the Taiwanese people’s right to make their own decisions.
The MAC indicates that since President Chen Shui-bian’s inauguration in 2000, the objective of the ROC government’s China policy has always been to pursue cross-strait peace and stability. The government has taken every possible substantive measure to preserve peace and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. It must be emphasized, however, that even though the preservation of cross-strait peace and status quo does not solely rest upon Taiwan, we are willing to continue to make efforts in this regard. However, despite the opposition and resentment of the Taiwanese people and the international community, China has impertinently insisted on pushing forward its so-called "anti-separation law." China has, through various means, threatened the Taiwanese people by refusing their rights to the jurisdiction of self-rule. The Chinese authorities must take full responsibility for endangering and sabotaging peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.