Date: September 20, 2019
MAC Press Release No. 84
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued the following solemn statement on September 20, 2019, condemning mainland China for wresting away another diplomatic ally of Taiwan:
- The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used "dollar diplomacy" and other malicious means again this week to wrest away another Taiwan's diplomatic allies, Kiribati. This is a futile attempt to force Taiwan to accept the "one country, two systems" position aims at eliminating the sovereignty of the Republic of China (ROC). It is also a maneuver to influence the presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan. The CCP regime has recently created unease and engaged in plunder and expansion in the Indo-Pacific region. It has also intensified its encroachments on Taiwan's rights. None of these alters the fact that the ROC is a sovereign country. Taiwan's 23 million people also will never accept any political claims of the "People's Republic of China" (PRC).
- Beijing has seriously undermined the peaceful status quo and basis for interaction in the Taiwan Strait. The MAC believes that the CCP is attempting, by extreme tightening measures and relieving its stress, to highlight the achievements of the red political power struggle at a time when it is unable to cope with internal and external challenges and fails in its promotion of "one country, two systems." These measures further reveal the intense fear and anxiety filling the Mainland over Taiwan's democracy and elections. The CCP is the root cause of the cross-Strait conflict and regional unrest. It must take full responsibility for any possible consequences. We demand the mainland immediately stop these provocations. We also appeal to the international community to squarely face up to these national acts of violent encroachment and whether international institutions will continue to allow such actions to go unsanctioned.
- This is a confrontation between democracy and totalitarianism. The ROC is a sovereign state. Taiwan has never been part of the PRC. The CCP's "one China principle" does not apply to Taiwan. The government firmly upholds peace in the Taiwan Strait and the region and will never yield to pressure. Taiwan faces unrelenting pressure from the CCP, as well as threats of interference and infiltration ahead of Taiwan elections. In this difficult situation, the government will take necessary actions and respond appropriately and carefully to safeguard national sovereignty and protect the welfare of the people.